Column: Hawaii Gas should commit to renewable energy requirements

The Honolulu City Council is considering a proposal known as Bill 25 that, among other things, would require at least 90% of the energy used for water heating to come from renewable energy sources like solar or wind.

Hawaii Gas and some in the building industry are against this proposal, saying it would inflate the cost of housing and force consumers to buy a type of water heater they may not want. Cost and consumer choice are among the issues raised in the debate, as well as Hawaii’s commitment to using renewable resources to generate 100% of our energy by 2045.

We appreciate the argument that consumers should be able to choose the types of appliances they want. But as a community, everyone needs to be aligned on getting off fossil fuel over the long term for the good of our environment and for Hawaii’s resilience.

At Hawaiian Electric, we are required by law to transition our electric system to 100% renewable energy and we’ve been working hard to accomplish this along with our customers, renewable energy companies and the state Public Utilities Commission.

Our renewable energy targets have driven real progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and in the past decade we’ve reduced our use of imported oil by nearly 90 million gallons a year. The state’s electric utilities have more than doubled the use of renewable resources.

We believe that gas suppliers should also be making the transition to a 100% renewable energy future. To that end, Hawaii Gas has made some initial efforts to develop renewable gas, and that’s a good thing. But the fact is the amount of renewable gas being used is very small, and no matter how much it describes itself as the Clean Energy Company, Hawaii Gas has consistently opposed legislative efforts to require that they transition to renewable energy, arguing that the technologies for renewable gas are not sufficiently mature or robust.

Hawaiian Electric supports the intent of Bill 25. We are participating in stakeholder discussions and are hopeful that something can be agreed to that is still meaningful to move us all toward a sustainable and resilient future.

Consumers will still have choices. If they don’t like solar, they can choose an energy-efficient heat pump or grid-interactive unit that can be programmed to heat water at optimal times, like when abundant solar is available. Water heaters that run on renewable gas are also an option, though how “renewable” is defined is up for debate.

But this is about something much more significant than water heaters. It’s about our community’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral and 100% renewable in about 25 years. Whatever the outcome of Bill 25, the energy industry in Hawaii — including Hawaii Gas — should be jointly committed and held to meeting renewable energy requirements.

When it comes to meeting Hawaii’s ambitious renewable energy goals, our view is that we’re either all in this together or we’re not.

Scott Seu is senior vice president of public affairs at Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO).