Editorial: Hard choices ahead for clean energy

The low-hanging fruit has been largely picked, but the vast job still remains. Short of quitting, there’s little choice but to carefully reposition and climb higher — a prospect that can bring more risks, but also, much reward. That’s where Hawaii finds itself, toward its goal to reach 100% energy from renewable sources by 2045, as mandated by a visionary law passed in 2015.

Since then, progress has been steady — with Hawaii’s Renewable Portfolio Standards at about 35%, thanks to readily-available technologies such as photovoltaic panels, most recently coupled with solar battery storage. But now, green shoots get harder to find, if Hawaii is to reach its renewable-energy benchmarks of 40% by the end of 2030, 70% by the end of 2040, and 100% by the end of 2045.

Solar accounts for about half of Hawaii’s current recyclable-energy portfolio, and there is more upside potential, if scaled-up community solar projects are realized. But, it will take more, much more. Larger-scale projects that on first blush might seem unpalatable will need to be given second looks with open minds.

Offshore windfarms, for example. Energy generated by ocean-based wind turbines has been touted as a key piece of Hawaii’s green puzzle, while also reducing electricity costs for consumers, reported Star-Advertiser writer Andrew Gomes last week. But not much has moved in the past decade since task force meetings began on regulatory work, hearings and proposals.

One developer had proposed a 816-megawatt windfarm (51 turbines 17 miles south of Diamond Head, 51 turbines 12 miles northwest of Kaena Point); another broached a 400-megawatt project off Oahu’s South Shore, recently shifted to windward waters. But assorted scoping meetings and regulatory factors have left experts opining that any consensus is at least a decade away.

Should an offshore windfarm proposal reemerge in earnest, robust debate will fly, as it should, over myriad issues such as visual impacts, effects on marine life and ecosystems, and hurricane hardiness. From a pure power perspective, though, what makes an offshore windfarm attractive is its energy-producing scale — a 400MW project could power nearly 25% of Oahu — as well as its distance away from communities. The Na Pua Makani wind farm in Kahuku revealed the difficulties of siting turbines on land-tight Oahu without affecting neighborhoods.

Still, the imperative to transition away from fossil fuels recognizes the realities of climate change and a warming Earth. Hawaii must do its part toward carbon-pollution- free electricity generation; we are not too small to help tackle the problem. Even modest strides are noteworthy, as with recent bills passed by the Legislature:

>> House Bill 1142 allocates a portion from the barrel tax into dedicated funds to support and finance electric vehicle charging systems, helpful in support of more EVs statewide.

>> HB 552 creates clean ground-transportation goals for state agencies to achieve a 100% light-duty motor vehicles zero-emission fleet by the end of 2035; and HB 424 requires state agencies to prefer electric or hybrid vehicles when renting vehicles on government business.

Those new laws are reflective of progress being made toward cleaner transit. In May, Hawaiian Electric received state approval for its “eBus Make-Ready Infrastructure Pilot Project,” to encourage electric-bus growth via installation of charging ports on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island. The new infrastructure — expected to cost $4.25 million, which Hawaiian Electric seeks to recover through a Renewable Energy Infrastructure Program surcharge — would support up to 20 electric-bus charging ports at up to 10 customer sites over three years.

The ambitious energy road toward 2045 will need small-but-steady steps to stay the course. But very soon, larger controversial projects will be the only way forward, and perfect can’t become an enemy of the good. Collective compromises will be necessary — as the planet gets hotter, climate intensifies and we all start feeling the effects.