Pacific Clean Energy Summit Set for Hawaii in 2009
October 25, 2008
HONOLULU—Hawai‘i’s Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism today announced that Hawai‘i will host the 7th Annual Korea-Pacific U.S. States Joint Conference in Honolulu at the Sheraton Waikiki, August 31-September 2, 2009.
The state will also use this opportunity to launch the inaugural Asia-Pacific Clean Energy Summit & Expo to provide nations throughout the region an opportunity to share renewable energy policies, best practices, new technologies and innovations.
“Hosting this annual conference provides us with an opportunity to build on our bilateral trade and investment relationships so that we can grow stronger partnerships,” said Governor Linda Lingle. “Having clean energy be a major focus of next year’s Joint Conference will emphasize the role we must play as a model for the Pacific Rim.”
“By focusing the topic of the conference on clean energy, the event is expected to draw upwards of 1,000 government, business and research participants,” said DBEDT Director Theodore E. Liu. “As the worldwide importance of the Asia-Pacific region grows, the need for economic cooperation between Korea and the U.S. Pacific states increases.” Government policymakers, industry professionals, suppliers and customers, and consultants are the targeted audience for this important summit.
“As the Asia-Pacific region sets an aggressive course towards energy independence, we have much to learn from each other. Energy is the number one challenge we face in our region, as well as by nations around the world,” Liu said. “Our solar, wind, wave, geothermal, climate and marine resources serve as the foundation for an economy based on renewable energy.”
For more information on conference participation or sponsorship, please contact Jamie Lum of DBEDT at 808-587-2753 or see the web-site http://asiapacificcleanenergy.com.
Background on the Korea-Pacific U.S. States Joint Conference:
In 2002, the Governors of the five Pacific U.S. states—Alaska, California, Hawai‘i, Oregon and Washington formally recognized the importance of the relationship with Korea, and made a commitment to strengthen that relationship.
The Joint Conference between Korea and the Pacific states was created to foster trade, investment and economic cooperation between the two regions. In 2006, Idaho joined the consortium.
The Korea-Pacific U.S. States Joint Conference is sponsored by the Korea-U.S. Economic Council (KUSEC) and the six Pacific states.
This year’s Joint Conference will be held in Seoul and Jeju, Korea, November 14-15, 2008.
KUSEC is a private, non-profit organization under the auspices of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), whose purpose is to promote economic cooperation between Korea and the United States. KUSEC is supported by leading Korean corporations and economic organizations, and exercises significant influence in both private and public sectors.
State, HECO announce renewable energy deal
October 21, 2008
Gov. Linda Lingle and Hawaiian Electric Co. on Monday announced a sweeping new agreement aimed at fast-tracking the state’s renewable energy goals.
The agreement, which the governor called “historical and transformational,” includes multiple commitments from both the state and the utility to reduce regulatory roadblocks to reach the state’s energy independence goals more quickly.
The agreement was announced at the State Capitol by Lingle and Hawaiian Electric Industries CEO Constance Lau, with U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, in attendance. Highlights include:
• HECO will add 1,100 megawatts of renewable energy to its portfolio, including 700 megawatts within the next five years.
• HECO will speed up so-called purchase power agreements. Currently, these contracts for buying renewable energy such as wind and solar take several years to negotiate.
• HECO will request approval from the state Public Utilities Commission by July 2009 for a feed-in tariff system. The system would require the utility to publish in advance the rates it will pay for renewable power, and in effect, encourage investors to put money into renewable energy projects.
• A ban on increasing infrastructure for power plants that run on fossil fuels.
• HECO will lift its caps on net-energy metering for residential and commercial renewable energy projects. Net-energy metering refers to selling back excess energy to the utility’s grid.
Moving trash from state to state will not solve nation’s landfill capacity problems
July 23, 2008
What are we going to do with our trash when the landfills are full?
That’s not a problem that’s garnering much attention because, frankly, there are a lot of places in this country to bury our trash.
But across the Pacific Ocean it’s a real concern — right now.
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Geothermal energy: Clean, stable, always available
In 1881, King David Kalakaua had the bright idea of using Hawaii’s fiery volcanoes to produce electricity and light the streets. It took technology the next century to catch up with the visionary king.
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The "cubic mile of oil"–a metric roughly equivalent to the amount of oil consumed worldwide each year–is frequently used to explain the challenge facing solar, wind, geothermal and biomass power.
Big Island solar farm to begin construction
July 7, 2008
Sopogy is finally moving forward with the construction of its one-megawatt solar farm at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii after a year of working through state and county permitting processes.
Wave-powered boat finishes crossing
July 6, 2008
A Japanese adventurer has completed a three-month journey from Hawaii to Japan in a boat powered by the energy of ocean waves.
Alternative State
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Hawaii has become an incubator for all sorts of renewable-energy projects
HONOLULU — A state better known for sun and fun is quietly morphing into one of the world’s leading incubators of alternative energy.
Royal Dutch Shell PLC is heading up a test venture in Hawaii to turn oil-rich algae into fuel. If the process is found commercially viable, the Anglo-Dutch conglomerate could build algae-processing plants elsewhere.
Hawaii’s Wal-Marts take green steps
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the Bentonville, Ark., retail giant, is taking green steps, with many of those efforts being spearheaded in Hawaii.
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