Hawaii has a unique situation compared to the mainland where renewable energy makes more economic sense in the long run.  Every tanker of oil we use means more money leaving the state economy that has to be made up somewhere else...more Federal funding or tourism coming in, or less money available to buy other imports.  Hawaii has most of the stuff to make renewables work...varied geography for wind power, lots of sun for solar, volcanism and the ocean for geothermal, limited space for landfills which makes HPower feasible, and high energy costs from not being able to import electricity from other States when needed.  In addition to renewables, we need to tie all of the island's electrical grids together so we can balance the loads and reduce the need for backup power.

The problem is Hawaii can't make our own power generation equipment so it has to be imported in and installed which creates a high short term cost, but it'll beneficial in the long term once everything is in place.

Hawaii has a unique situation compared to the mainland where renewable energy makes more economic sense in the long run.  Every tanker of oil we use means more money leaving the state economy that has to be made up somewhere else...more Federal funding or tourism coming in, or less money available to buy other imports.  Hawaii has most of the stuff to make renewables work...varied geography for wind power, lots of sun for solar, volcanism and the ocean for geothermal, limited space for landfills which makes HPower feasible, and high energy costs from not being able to import electricity from other States when needed.  In addition to renewables, we need to tie all of the island's electrical grids together so we can balance the loads and reduce the need for backup power.

The problem is Hawaii can't make our own power generation equipment so it has to be imported in and installed which creates a high short term cost, but it'll beneficial in the long term once everything is in place.

I don't want to argue the merits and downsides to renewable energy solutions. I agree that Hawaii is in a unique position for renewable solutions. But for me the answer is not for replacement of our current solution to present day renewable solutions. To me the answer is to place Hawaii at the forefront of renewable energy development and maybe some manufacturing. I suggest grants from the feds and maybe tax breaks to companies to come here to develop their products. Just like the TMT we have the perfect weather and location for development of new solutions and materials for manufacturing renewable energy products and solutions. In essence I would like to see Hawaii be the literal guinea pigs for future products so we as a society can benefit from the new technology first, and provide high tech jobs for those engineers in the development field. To me this is how the C&C and state can bring in income and high paying jobs and create symbiotic relationships with the companies of the world. And not just rely on tourism for income. Live by sword, die by the sword.

The probleem with my vision is that it requires our leaders to be proactive and plan for the future. Something our present leaders refuse to do. Our current leaders choose to be reactive instead of proactive. Hawaii will never be anything more than just a tourist attraction unless we vote in new forward thinking leaders. All of this is worth more than switching over to the impossible dream of 100% renewable energy.

Gall Dang Dave
I would vote for you on that platform !
It would add construction and maintenance jobs too.
  

One question for the fossil fuel advocates.
(Just drill and frack, Baby)

What happens when it all dries up ?

climate change ?
Personally, I think there is.
Man-made or not I don't care.  It's inevitable.
Climate change freaks?
I think they're good for us in that we have to think about sustainability.
Can they derail industry? I don't think so.
Prices go up so big industry can keep or grow their profit margins.
What goes on behind the scenes? No one knows except those who know.

We have not inherited the Earth from our Parents. We are just watching over it for our kids. (Exponentially)

(Still don't know what I outed myself as.  )

Speaking of investment though, look at all the solar energy startups that have come and gone.  Not sure about the how and whys or if government could have helped that more, but there have been a lot that have come and gone.  Or maybe they just restructured, got bought out, etc.  But the interest is there.

It's a while since I've been involved with sustainable energy facilities, but there are actually a LOT of red tape preventing otherwise good technology from being used more often.  Yeah, the technology is continually growing and improving, but that's kind of the whole point.  Often, rules and regulations on that end are 5 years or more behind the times.

"Fossil fuel?  Where we're going, we don't need fossil fuels. . . "

Speaking of investment though, look at all the solar energy startups that have come and gone.  Not sure about the how and whys or if government could have helped that more, but there have been a lot that have come and gone.  Or maybe they just restructured, got bought out, etc.  But the interest is there.

It's a while since I've been involved with sustainable energy facilities, but there are actually a LOT of red tape preventing otherwise good technology from being used more often.  Yeah, the technology is continually growing and improving, but that's kind of the whole point.  Often, rules and regulations on that end are 5 years or more behind the times.

"Fossil fuel?  Where we're going, we don't need fossil fuels. . . "

I guess you didn't read the article above: Wind and Solar Energy Are Dead Ends
Or are you claiming the stats in that article are incorrect and "renewables" are 1. capable of replacing fossil fuels, and/or 2. the prohibitive costs are incorrect?
As the PUC members stated, the costs and physical impossibility of meeting an "all renewable" goal are "impossible"/"crazy".
If the initial purchase/installation costs of the equipment, along with maintenance and replacement costs are beyond any possible recoup, then it will NEVER be "beneficial"... at least not to ratepayers... the politicians (who garner "donations" from manufacturers, installers, etc.) and the bureaucrats who get off on imposing their "good deeds" on powerless citizens, sure.
Over the years I've had several individuals/firms analyze the cost effectiveness of converting my HELCO powered home to either grid-tie-in or off-grid/battery storage solar. They all concluded that unless electricity costs rose to double or triple their current rates that it is not cost effective for me to install solar. And then it would be a "break even" affair, and the rates would need to be even higher for me to have a "cost saving" benefit. ("Energy independent" off grid is another matter.) With the worst case scenario at the moment being a 44% increase to fund the pie-in-the-sky renewable fantasy... it won't be worth it for me to convert until the tyrants get even more brazen and bold than they are at the current time (which, given Hawaii's political sheep/slave/dependent culture, will likely happen eventually).
P.S. Ever see those giant wind turbines at South Point? In all my years here I've never seen all of them operational at once. It's more common to see them all inoperational at once. I'd be really surprised if all that down time repair costs renders those things a negative cost (a "money pit") for the life of the system.

Stats are correct for what we know now on a worldwide scale, but irrelevant for Hawaii due to our unique situation and future technology.  Hawaii is currently generating about 25% of it's electricity through renewables, probably one of the highest rates in nation and the world.  I don't think we'll be at 100% in 2045, but I think we'll get close.  We'll need vastly improved electric storage technologies to keep the lights on at any time while most cars should be all electric by 2040 so we'll need more juice for those.  Maybe 80% would be a realistic goal.  There's more potential energy from HPower but they don't have enough garbage to burn.  Solar panel efficiency is increasing while the materials needed to make them are decreasing making them cheaper.  Wind turbines are becoming more efficient and easier to maintain.  The new windmills on Oahu seem to be running all the time.  Connect the electrical grids on all of the islands to balance the loads and create redundancy.  Upgrade our powerlines so residential solar can feed energy into it.  23 years is a long time away where a new technology could be discovered in the next 10 years and implemented in the state by 2040.

I don't know how accurate "up to 44%" is.  I'm sure improvements will cost a lot in the short term, but will pay off in the long term.  New fossil fuel generators have to be built and current ones are expensive to maintain.  Cost of oil is still low even considering the addition of shale oil, so oil costs will eventually rise again and so will electricity rates.

There's more potential energy from HPower but they don't have enough garbage to burn. 

Connect the electrical grids on all of the islands to balance the loads and create redundancy. 

Why isn't the (free) market allowed to operate and if someone comes up with a truly "renewable" "sustainable" "green" way to generate energy that is cost effective, wouldn't individuals and/or public utility companies clamor and compete to buy it?

I have one word for you, Enron.