As a legislator who introduced the concept of a renewable portfolio standard (RPS), I am dismayed watching the RPS become just an aspiration, rather than a pragmatic policy tool to promote a cost-effective strategy to achieve a diverse portfolio of renewable resources.

Unfortunately, the Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) recent decision and order to deny the waiver from the competitive bid process for the Honua Ola Bioenergy Project on Hawaii island fell short of fulfilling the pragmatic strategy of the RPS law.

Hawaii is becoming overly dependent on one resource: solar-plus-battery energy storage systems. And many mistakenly think solar is the panacea to our energy challenges. Like any good investment portfolio strategy, having a diverse RPS helps to reduce risk in many ways.

With this decision being highly focused on a cost comparison between biomass and solar, we are unwittingly limiting future opportunities to achieve the upper limits of the RPS, and making it more expensive and technically challenging to achieve the goal of 100% RPS by 2045.

We all should be concerned about the fate of the Honua Ola project. First, a primary objective of Hawaii’s energy policy is to move away from oil price volatility. Current oil prices are low due to lack of demand caused by the pandemic. However, in the past we have seen oil price spikes wreak havoc on Hawaii’s economy.

Although priced higher than other renewables, Honua Ola offers stable and predictable pricing. And when Honua Ola’s firm power cost is blended with other renewable resources in the system, their combined power purchase costs are generally lower than the blended price of purchasing these same renewables and fuel for HELCO’s fossil plants.

Second, comparing biomass to solar is like comparing apples and oranges; biomass is firm resilient power that can run 24/7 and offer a unique attributes that make the electric grid more stable and reliable.

It’s not an either-or proposition, both firm resilient biomass power and solar-plus-energy-storage resources should be used to provide electricity and ancillary services to operate the grid.

I am fortunate to live on Kauai. Our utility, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC), is often lauded for its aggressive installation of utility scale solar-plus-storage projects and the variety of renewable sources that power the grid. What is often understated is the huge challenge to run a stable and resilient grid on intermittent renewables.

While short-term battery storage is cost competitive, there are times when storm clouds blank out the sun for days at a time. Batteries have helped with short-term storage, but until now, fossil-fueled generators have been the backbone/workhorse of the electrical grid.

Recently, through ingenuity, KIUC engineers have taken an existing fossil fuel plant and repurposed it to operate as a synchronous condenser that stores energy in its spinning generators to stabilize grid fluctuation and voltage, as well as providing power instantly as needed. Now, the plant can run on renewable resources such as solar, hydroelectric and Kauai’s Green Energy biomass plant.

Hawaii’s energy transformation requires a well-managed integration of parts for the seamless and reliable delivery of electricity. And like Kauai’s biomass plant, Honua Ola can play an important role contributing to the backbone of Hawaii island’s system, delivering both the quality of power and the continuous quantity needed, which solar-plus-battery cannot guarantee.

Although more than twice the cost of solar, Kauai’s Green Energy biomass plant plays an important role in the stable operations of Kauai’s electrical grid, and provides forestry and plant-operation jobs. Hawaii island should not lose this biomass opportunity from which Kauai has clearly benefitted.

Unless there are major breakthroughs in the near future, 100% renewable is a journey that many of us will not see accomplished in our lifetime. However, we can lay a solid foundation for the next generation by combining pragmatism, diversity and inspiration to make Hawaii’s 100% renewable target possible.

Because of the significant infrastructure investments that need to be made, Hawaii has only one chance to get it right. Let’s course correct and get it right on the Honua Ola Bioenergy Project.

Mina Morita has served as chair-woman for the state House Com-mittee on Energy, and as chair-woman of the Public Utilities Commission.