In a world where extreme weather events are increasing in severity and frequency, prioritizing energy resilience for homes, businesses, and communities is the only path forward to maintain a reliable and accessible supply of energy. Done properly, resilient energy systems can also improve health, comfort, and affordability.
The 11th Hawai’i Energy Conference (HEC) explored cutting-edge solutions to improve resilience in the face of a rapidly changing climate. Hear from experts on topics such as whether biofuels can really support resilience while lowering carbon emissions, and how resilience planning can prioritize historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities. There was also an update from the Legislature and discuss the pros and cons of undergrounding and insulating electrical lines.
Distributed energy resources (DERs), including PV coupled with batteries, are critical tools for strengthening energy resilience in this volatile operating environment and we expect to highlight some of the flexible and wide-ranging applications for DER already deployed to support housing on Maui since the August 2023 fires.
The HEC brings together experts and thought leaders to connect and explore the latest advancements shaping the energy landscape world-wide.
Watch the replays to hear how we “talk story” about risk management, grid stability, and adaptive solutions that ensure a reliable and resilient energy supply.
On May 22-23, Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) presented the 11th Annual Hawaii Energy Conference (HEC), with the theme Reimagining Resilience, at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Supported by the County of Maui Office of Economic Development, the HEC...
In a world where extreme weather events are increasing in severity and frequency, prioritizing energy resilience for homes, businesses, and communities is the only path forward to maintain a reliable and accessible supply of energy. The 11th Annual Hawaii Energy...
Author and Wall Street Journal reporter, Katherine Blunt, will kick off the 11th Hawaii Energy Conference (HEC) sharing her research and insights from the California wildfires and the fall of Pacific Gas and Electric. Presented by the Maui Economic Development Board...
Colton Ching | Senior Vice President, Planning & Technology, Hawaiian Electric Jacqui Hoover| Chair, Conference Program Committee; Executive Director and COO Hawaii Island Economic Development Board (HIEDB); and President Hawaii Leeward Planning Damien Kim | Business Manager/Financial Secretary, International Brotherhood Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1186 Jonathan Koehn | Director, Climate Initiatives Department, City of Boulder Doug McLeod | Member, DKK Energy Services, LLC Robert “Rocky” Mould| Executive Director, Hawaii Solar Energy Association Maria Tome| Managing Director, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Hawaii State Energy Office Wren Wescoatt| Director of Development, Hawaii Longroad Energy Julie Yunker| Director of Sustainability, Government and Community Affairs, Hawaii Gas Jennifer Zelko-Schlueter | Director, Government and Community Relations, Hawaiian Electric
We had so much to talk about, as we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Hawaii Energy Conference. Finally back live and in person at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center May 24-25, 2023.
Is getting to 100 % Renewables still desirable, still doable, still worth the price?
How can we get clean energy projects permitted, interconnected, and operational in a reasonable period of time?
What is the next step in our efforts toward decarbonized energy, and what role does hydrogen play?
What are the energy related priorities of the Hawai’i Legislature and the Governor?
What is Energy Equity and how do we achieve it in the pursuit of state energy goals such as 100% renewables and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions?
Colton Ching | Senior Vice President, Planning & Technology, Hawaiian Electric Celeste Connors| Executive Director, Hawaii Green Growth Jacqui Hoover | Chair, Conference Program Committee; Executive Director and COO Hawaii Island Economic Development Board (HIEDB); and President Hawaii Leeward Planning Jonathan Koehn | Chief Sustainability & Resilience Officer, City of Boulder Doug McLeod |Member, DKK Energy Services, LLC Robert “Rocky” Mould | Executive Director, Hawaii Solar Energy Association Maria Tome | Managing Director, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Hawaii State Energy Office Stephany Vaioleti | Community Engagement Navigator, Hawaii Energy Wren Wescoatt | Director of Development, Hawaii Longroad Energy Jennifer Zelko-Schlueter | Director, Government and Community Relations, Hawaiian Electric
Electrification: Where are we now? What does the future hold?
The 9th Annual Hawaii Energy Conference was held virtually and revisited the challenges of electrifying the grid and transportation – current successes, potential pitfalls, and future opportunities.
There is no doubt that the push to Electrification will affect our way of life.
A study by Princeton University predicted that by 2050 electrifying transport and buildings could double the amount of electricity consumption in the U.S. Amy Myers Jaffe, a research professor at Tuft’s University, boldly declared in the Wall Street Journal, “The electrification of (almost) everything is coming, and we’re just not ready for it.”
Our communities will need to develop disciplined, proportional responses to the challenges Electrification poses. Strategies for energy efficiency and the equitable distribution of Electrification’s benefits must balance building capacity for increased consumption.
The two-day discussion reviewed the issues surrounding electrification with the following thoughts in mind: How do we define “electrification” and is it the same everywhere?
How are the community’s needs and concerns being addressed as the infrastructure for electrification become more prevalent?
How is resilience being brought into the equation of electrification?
What has been and will be the impact of COVID-19 on customers of the utility?
What should the climate goals of electrification be – net zero carbon, net negative carbon, or zero emissions?
What is the role of energy efficiency in electrification? …and more
Abigail Anthony, Commissioner, Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission
Keynote Day 2
Amy Meyers Jaffe, Research Professor and Managing Director of the Climate Policy Lab, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Featured Day 2
Shelee Kimura, President & CEO, Hawaiian Electric Company
2022 Program Committee
Colton Ching | Senior Vice President, Planning & Technology, Hawaiian Electric Frank De Rego Jr. | Co-Chair, Conference Program Committee; Director of Business Development Projects, Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. Alex De Roode | Energy Commissioner, Office of Economic Development County of Maui Jacqui Hoover | Co Chair, Conference Program Committee; Executive Director and COO Hawaii Island Economic Development Board (HIEDB); and President Hawaii Leeward Planning Jonathan Koehn | Chief Sustainability & Resilience Officer, City of Boulder Doug McLeod |Member, DKK Energy Services, LLC Robert “Rocky” Mould | Executive Director, Hawaii Solar Energy Association Tricia Rohlfing | Vice President of Finance, Hawaii Pacific Solar Maria Tome | Managing Director, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Hawaii State Energy Office
The Energy Transition in Hawaii: Focus on investments in people and projects
There are many ways to invest in the future of energy in Hawaii. It will take creativity and hard work from project developers; the community, including indigenous groups; regulators; and energy service providers to come up with projects that are acceptable for all concerned. Building trust and respect between stakeholders within the context of equitable community development will be a key metric of success. Any viable project will require substantial amounts of financial capital and an adequate return on investment. The skill development and job creation that results must take us towards a new energy economy. Every community faces similar challenges – how can we invest in people while designing energy projects that are financially viable, resilient, and enhance job skills?
The 8th Annual Hawaii Energy Conference was held virtually 22 and 24 June exploring how to invest with knowledge and respect in Hawaii.
KEYNOTE | CREATING TRANSFORMATIVE & INCLUSIVE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES WITH VIRTUAL POWER PLANTS Suleman Khan, CEO, Swell Energy
PANEL | INVESTING RESPECTFULLY IN HAWAII
PANEL | DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES: CLEAN, AFFORDABLE, AND RESILIENT POWER FOR A CARBON-FREE ENERGY FUTURE
PANEL | HOW WILL ESG AFFECT ENERGY INVESTMENT IN HAWAII?
INTERVIEW | PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSIONER JENNIFER POTTER
PANEL | POSSIBLE FEDERAL DECARBONIZATION STANDARDS – HOW COULD THAT CHANGE POLICIES, PLANS, RULES, AND REGULATION IN HAWAII? – Sponsored by Hawaiian Electric
SPOTLIGHT TALK | INVESTING IN EVs – Sponsored by Ulupono Initiative
THURSDAY JUNE 24
WELCOME TO DAY TWO
INVITED TALK | STOP OVERPAYING FOR SOLAR: AND OTHER PATHWAYS TO AFFORDABLE BILLS Mark Toney, Executive Director, The Utility Reform Network (TURN)
HAWAII’S INCLUSIVE ENERGY TRANSITION
COMMUNITY INSIGHTS: DIFFERENT VIEWS, SIMILAR GOALS
SPOTLIGHT TALK | HYDROGEN
PANEL | CARBON PRICING
INTERVIEW WITH DAWN LIPPERT, ELEMENTAL EXCELERATOR
PANEL | HOW TO MEASURE THE ENERGY BURDEN AND DESIGNING PROGRAMS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY POST-COVID
PANEL | DEPLOYING UTILITY-SCALE RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS ACROSS THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS: HIGHLIGHTS AND COMPARISONS FROM INDIVIDUAL ISLANDS
CONFERENCE CLOSING
Meet the 2021 Program Committee
Caroline Carl | Deputy Director, Hawaii Energy Colton Ching| Senior Vice President, Planning & Technology, Hawaiian Electric Frank De Rego Jr. | Vice Chair, Conference Program Committee; Director of Business Development Projects, Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. Alex De Roode | Energy Commissioner, Office of Economic Development County of Maui Jonathan Koehn| Chief Sustainability & Resilience Officer, City of Boulder Doug McLeod| Chair, Conference Program Committee; Member, DKK Energy Services, LLC Robert “Rocky” Mould | Executive Director, Hawaii Solar Energy Association Tricia Rohlfing | Vice President of Finance, Hawaii Pacific Solar Maria Tome | Managing Director, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Hawaii State Energy Office
IMAGINING A JUST RECOVERY. WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE FOR THE GRID?
On July 30th the Hawaii Energy Conference went virtual for a robust discussion of how the energy sector can and should respond to our current challenges by creating a “just” electrical grid.
The Hawaii Energy Conference understands our energy systems do not exist in a vacuum. COVID-19 has laid bare the stark reality of pre-existing inequalities in our society. The elderly, the poor, and minorities have suffered tremendously in the pandemic’s wake. Peaceful, sometimes violent, forms of protest make it painfully evident that an equitable or just recovery is the only path forward to heal our communities.
Not everything is bad news. The planet experienced an unexpected respite from air pollution, and a slowdown in carbon loading to the atmosphere. But the lessened impact to our ecosystem came at an extraordinary economic cost. As we move forward, what strategies will policy makers and regulators use to achieve results that benefit broad swaths of society? How will utilities and companies in the energy sector contribute?
Download the 2020 Virtual Program
Video Replays
Program at a Glance
E KOMO MAI (Welcome)
FEATURED PRESENTATION | Why Energy Matters… Especially to the Electric Company | Scott Seu, President and CEO, Hawaiian Electric Company
PANEL | COVID and the Commissions | Moderated by Jennifer Potter, Commissioner, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
THE MACROECONOMICS OF CHANGE | Presented by Hawaii Clean Power Alliance
PANEL | Solar Jobs – Being Part of the Solution | Moderated by Will Giese, Executive Director, Hawaii Solar Energy Association
WHY WE SHOULD ALL BE TALKING MORE ABOUT PERFORMANCE BASED REGULATION | Presented by Ulupono Initiative
PANEL | Develop With Us, Not For Us | Moderated by Rachel James, Attorney, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
PANEL | Leadership Toward a Just Grid | Moderated by Jonathan Koehn, Chief Sustainability & Resilience Officer, City of Boulder
CLOSING
Meet the 2020 Program Committee
Caroline Carl | Deputy Director, Hawaii Energy Colton Ching | Senior Vice President, Planning & Technology, Hawaiian Electric Frank De Rego Jr. | Vice Chair, Conference Program Committee; Director of Business Development Projects, Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. Alex De Roode | Energy Commissioner, Office of Economic Development County of Maui William Giese | Executive Director, Hawaii Solar Energy Association Jonathan Koehn | Chief Sustainability & Resilience Officer, City of Boulder Doug McLeod | Chair, Conference Program Committee; Member, DKK Energy Services, LLC Jennifer Potter | Commissioner, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission Tricia Rohlfing | Vice President of Finance, Hawaii Pacific Solar
In its sixth year, the Energy Conference on Maui was renamed the Hawaii Energy Conference (HEC) to reflect what it has always been–the premier Energy Conference in Hawaii focused on statewide interests as seen through the prism of national and international developments in energy.
Hawaii has experienced enormous growth in distributed energy resources, primarily photovoltaic systems. This year’s conference will take an in-depth look at the innovative policies and technologies that continue to allow rapid growth in PV, and will compare Hawaii solutions with those in Colorado, California and other states. We will also ask what the right blend of fossil fuel and renewable energy sources is for the portion of our economy not covered by the Renewable Portfolio Standard. Come join the discussion at one of the nation’s leading energy conferences.
Colton Ching| Senior Vice President, Planning & Technology, Hawaiian Electric Frank De Rego Jr. | Vice Chair, Conference Program Committee; Director of Business Development Projects, Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. William Giese| Executive Director, Hawaii Solar Energy Association Jonathan Koehn| Senior Sustainability Policy Advisor, City of Boulder Dawn Lippert| Chief Executive Officer, Elemental Excelerator Doug McLeod| Chair, Conference Program Committee; Member, DKK Energy Services, LLC Jennifer Potter| Commissioner, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission Frederick Redell | Co-Founder and Managing Member, BlüNebü
