Innovation, efficiency key for year’s energy programs

This year was about implementation. We set an aggressive goal, and now we are innovating our way there. Here are five projects involving startups, nonprofits, research institutions and utilities that are changing our energy landscape:

>> Two 1,400-square-foot classrooms at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s College of Education were built to generate more energy than they consume. The buildings, designed by California-based Project FROG, contain LED lighting, highly insulated walls, and windows that minimize the entry of heat. The two buildings also will be fitted with solar PV. Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, an organization that supports the state’s progress toward 100 percent renewable energy through research, demonstration, deployment and analysis, is managing the project.

>> One megawatt of batteries was distributed among 16 commercial and industrial buildings and connected to Oahu’s electrical grid. The energy storage system is being provided by Stem. When you walk into Watanabe Floral, the Hawai‘i State Art Museum, Cades Schutte, Whole Foods or Wet ’N’ Wild, you will not see or feel a difference, and that unnoticeable difference is important. For local businesses, especially where revenue margins matter, they benefit from potential cost savings and higher visibility into their energy usage without disrupting their operations. For Hawaiian Electric the distributed fleet of batteries looks like one large energy-generating resource, a next-generation power plant.

>> To reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2045, we will need to deploy new solutions and make existing infrastructure smarter. Shifted Energy turns electrical water heaters into grid-connected batteries. Shifted Energy worked with Forest City, Hawaiian Electric and Energy Excelerator to install units at Kapolei Lofts, many of which are for renters. Similar to Stem, the distributed water heaters act as another resource that stores excess renewable energy on our electrical grid.

>> Sixty-six homes on Kauai, and 579 homes on Oahu and Maui, many of which were low-income and senior households, received water and energy-efficiency upgrades. Pono Home partnered with Hawaii Energy, the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative and Kauai County and installed more than 10,000 LED bulbs, 1,700 water-efficiency products and 300 smart power strips. Pono Home expects about $300 of savings per year per home.

>> Hundreds of Oahu residents can see which home appliances use the most electricity and at what times of day. For the 1,000-plus residents who enrolled in Hawaiian Electric’s time-of-use rate program, this could be illuminating as to what devices to turn off and when. The solution is called Bidgely, and it includes hardware installed on a home’s breaker box paired with the company’s software. Partners leading the challenge include the Blue Planet Foundation, Hawaiian Electric and Energy Excelerator.

Lauren Tonokawa is head of the communications team at the Energy Excelerator. She’s a graduate of the University of Hawaii. Reach her at laurentonokawa@gmail.com.