Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 8, 1 August 2022 — Pursuing Energy Independence on Moloka'i [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Pursuing Energy Independence on Moloka'i

By Cheryl Corbiell Hawai'i residents pay more for electricity than the rest of the country. And within Hawai'i, Moloka'i and Lāna'i residents pay the most. Over the past decade, community groups have spearheaded various loeal initiatives to help Moloka'i families and businesses take personal action to conserve energy and adopt renewables to combat the crushing electrical bills that eonsume 10-30% of their monthly incomes. As a result, Moloka'i residents have the lowest per capita electrical usage in Hawai'i. Approximately 14% of Moloka'i homeowners (about 500) have installed roof-top solar panels. Some homes are off-grid and powered by generators, but most of the remainder get their electricity ffom the Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO). Ironically, in the 1980s Moloka'i's electrical system was 100% renewable with a biomass power plant and a wind turbine. However, these early renewable technologies failed due to location and hnaneial constraints. After HECO bought the utility in 1989, energy on Moloka'i heeame 100% diesel power generated. But today, led by two community-based groups, Moloka'i residents are stepping up to plan for and build renewable energy on the island. The Moloka'i Clean Energy Hui (MCEH) was formed under the nonprofit Sus'tainable Moloka'i in 2020. The hui is developing a portfolio of elean energy projects that are both feasible and respectful of Moloka'i's culture and environment to achieve 100% renewable energy for the island. Their inclusive planning process is receiving wide support because it is community-initiated, driven, and led. The second group, Hoahu Energy Cooperative, was formed to produce community-owned, affordable, renewable energy projects. In June 2021, these organizations joined forces to ask the Puhlie Utilities Commission (PUC) to envision Moloka'i's renewable energy future through the community's eyes. After hearing an unprecedented number of testimonies from the community, the PUC made two key decisions. First, they made critical improvements to the proposed Community-based Renewable Energy (CBRE) project that will provide 25% of Moloka'i's renewable energy. HECO agreed to not compete for the project and Ho ahu's proposal to build a nonprofit solar project for Moloka'i is awaiting approval. In the interim, Ho'āhu's kuleana is to provide hands-on training to cultivate an on-is-land workforce ffom Moloka'i that will be ready to help build this first-of-its-kind solar project as well as future projects, such as nanogrids (a power grid that services a single home or facility). To date, 14 Moloka'i residents have graduated with solar certification. The PUC's second landmark decision was to temporarily defer a utility-driven project and planning process on Moloka'i and, instead, to allow MCEH to develop an is-land-wide, community-led plan for Moloka'i's future renewable energy in partnership with experts from the Hawai'i Natural Energy Institute. Called the Moloka'i Community Energy Resilience Action Plan (CERAP), eommu-nity-led planning launched in January 2022 and will take up to 18 months to complete. Residents are participating in meetings, providing input into the planning process, and learning about the available suitable technologies - to include costs, siting, and other challenges related to planning new renewable energy projects. Renewable energy scenarios are currently being developed and assessed with community input regarding the environment, as well as the cultural, eeonomie, and cost impacts. In addition, Moloka'i CERAP is coordinating with Maui County resilience initiatives, including climate change and sea-level rise, transportation electrification, and disaster recovery. "The main priority is for residents to provide their mana'o and get the word out to their friends and neighbors about the planning process through Facebook, texts and email, to encourage them to provide input at meetings," said Leilani Chow, MCEH coordinator and Sust'ainable Moloka'i energy program manager. Years ago, HECO and others identified Moloka'i as the island with the greatest potential to be 100% energy renewable by 2020. However, proposed large-scale renewable SEE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE 0N MOLOKA'I ON PAGE 7

The Ho'ōhu Energy Cooperative is cultivating an on-island work force by training Moloka'i residents to help build o solar system for their island. Pictured with instructor Todd Yamashita (far left) are proud solar certification graduates (l-r): Kiku Donnely, Makiah Malgrem, Roland Yartzoff, Brett Hoffman, Ipo Ma'e, Lexis Kalawe, Ha'a Logan and Kaohele Ritte-Camara. - Photo: Liliana Napoleon

Mana wāhine (l-r) Kiku Donnelly, Ipo Ma'e, Lexis Kalawe and Ha'a Logan are among the first 14 Moloka'i residents to graduate with solar certification to help build new solar projects and make the island 100% energy renewable. - Photo: Liliana Napoleon

Members of the Moloka'i Clean Energy Hui at one of their many planning meetings. Volunteers have already spent hundreds of hours developing a portfolio of elean energy projects that are both feasible and respectful of the 'āina and culture to achieve 100% renewable energy for the island. - Photo: Jesica Parker

ENGERY INDEPENDENCE ON MOLOKA'I

Continued from page 6 projects failed because an island with a small population, most of whom are low to medium ineome, is not financially "attractive" to developers. In addition, the absence of trusted experts and balanced information resulted in community opposition to large-scale projects. The high cost of electricity affects every aspect of life on Moloka'i. It results in higher costs for everything ffom food and water to communications and internet services, while Moloka'i businesses are forced to either pass their costs along to consumers or discount their goods and services. But the people of Moloka'i are known for being self-sufRcienct and resilient, and residents are putting in the time and effort needed - through hard work, volunteering and attending frequent community meetings - to educate themselves about the various renewable energy options, costs and trade-offs. Moloka'i is determined to become a elean energy eommunity and Moloka'i CERAP is forging a new way to plan for Moloka'i's renewable and independent energy future. As Hawai'i's 2045 mandate for 100% renewable energy looms on the horizon, Moloka'i is making up for lost time and may end up leading the way as Hawai'i seeks ways to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels and convert existing systems to tap renewable energy sources. ■