For Immediate Release: December 28, 2007
DBEDT Release News 07-35

Honolulu--A report released by the State today points to continued progress in Hawai‘i's efforts to increase energy efficiency, while making advances in renewable energy production.

The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism's (DBEDT) 2007 Energy Resources Annual Report said Hawai‘i continued a downward trend of energy consumption that started in the early 1970s, with Hawai‘i residents using 19 percent less energy per capita than they did 36 years ago.

Among the highlights of the retrospective look at the past year, the report says:

• Hawai‘i's primary energy consumption in 2006 was down 1.8 percent compared to 2005.
• Petroleum use in the state declined 2.7 percent between 2005 and 2006.
• Renewable energy production increased by 9.8 percent in 2006. This increase can be attributed to generation from municipal solid waste, hydroelectricity and wind.
• Municipal solid waste energy and hydropower production increased by about 12 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
• Wind power increased by a dramatic 1,123 percent due to the influx from the new facilities at Kaheawa Wind Power and Hawai‘i Renewable Development.
• The report highlights advances the state is making in developing biofuels, with three biodiesel refineries being developed on Kaua‘i, Maui and O‘ahu, as well as plans by Hawaiian Electric Company to build a biodiesel-fueled power plant at Campbell Industrial Park.
• Hawai‘i is also setting the pace for energy savings in buildings, ranking fifth in the nation in total energy cost savings for ENERGY Star® buildings, more than $22 million annually.
• The report cites four state buildings that have received ENERGY Star® awards by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Since the report was finalized, a fifth state building, the Keoni Ana building, also known as the Capitol Center, has earned the ENERGY Star® certification.
• The report outlines progress the state is making in the number of public buildings that have achieved recognition by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
• The state's efforts to increase energy efficiency are being supported by more than $12.5 million in state and federal funds, with the majority ($10.2 million in state funds and $1.2 million in federal funds) going toward electric power and renewable energy programs.

The DBEDT report says that nearly 77 percent of the state's electricity and more than 99 percent of its transportation fuel remain dependent on petroleum fuels. Other challenges for the state's economy and security remain. For example:

• Most of the petroleum used in Hawai‘i is imported from foreign countries, with a growing percentage from the Middle East.
• The islands' electrical grids are not interconnected.
• Hawai‘i residents pay among the highest energy costs in the country.

"We are very encouraged by the progress we are making in both alternate energy development and conservation statewide," said DBEDT Director Theodore E. Liu.

The report can be viewed and downloaded from the department's web site at: http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/main/about/annual.

For more information, contact:
Dave Young
Communications
Phone: (808) 587-1212
Email: dyoung@dbedt.hawaii.gov