The countdown is on for the 13th Annual Hawaii Energy Conference (HEC) to be held at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center May 20 and 21 exploring the theme of Energy: Power, People and Place. Presented by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), with support by the County of Maui, the conference brings together leaders, policymakers, cooperatives, and energy innovators.
Speaking on a recent interview with Burt Lum on Hawaii Pacific Radio’s Bytemarks Café, the conference chair Jacqui Hoover explained, “Given the geopolitics of everything now – affordability, access, and reliability – I think we were very forward-thinking in coming up with the three P’s of the theme – Power, People and Place.”
Hoover is the Executive Director and COO Hawaii Island Economic Development Board (HIEDB); and President Hawaii Leeward Planning. “To the credit of the great people I have the opportunity to work with on the program committee, they’re all looking at opportunities to incorporate lessons learned from around the globe that we can bring back to Hawaii while simultaneously recognizing the importance and uniqueness of our geography here, our climate here, and very importantly, our culture and people.”
“Hawaii is essentially an energy island laboratory, and it is on the cutting edge,” added Jennifer Potter, Faculty Energy Specialist with Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI), on the interview. “What we’ve done here in terms of distributed energy resources and photovoltaics on homes – we have almost 50% of the homes have photovoltaics of single-family homes. The penetration of utility-scale solar has been increasing exponentially, and the utilities have been able to figure out how they interconnect.”
Potter continued, “Every year the energy stakes are evolving and the conversations at the Hawaii Energy Conference keeps up. What we were debating 5 to 10 years ago, like the early RPS goals, is now shifted into how we actually do it.”
Jennifer Potter, HNEI, is on the HEC program committee and will moderate the panel “LNG in Hawaii”
Potter will moderate the panel, “LNG in Hawaii,” a controversial topic discussed in the legislature this year. “We are bringing the stakeholders to the table – the ones that are making the case for LNG, and the ones that are really questioning whether it’s a valid and reasonable decision for the state to pursue. This is one of the forums where disagreement is productive. You hear those competing viewpoints, and that’s where the real learning happens.”
“The conversations that people have after the conference are really what helps move our energy laboratory forward,” concluded Potter.
Another panel of the Hawaii Energy Conference will discuss “Higher Solar Costs and 100% RPS.” There are concerns that reduction/elimination of tax credits/incentives could slow adoption of solar. Hawaii has set a very ambitious goal of 50,000 rooftop systems across the state in the next five years. Last week Hawaii’s House and Senate committee agreed to eliminate the Renewable Energy Technologies Income Tax Credit, just when state incentives are even more important with the reduction of federal incentives. Legislators are yet to vote on measure. The impact of tariffs and costs for utility-scale and residential solar will also be discussed in this panel moderated by Wren Wescoatt, VP of Development, Longroad Energy.
Beyond generation sources (solar, geothermal, wind, hydro, ocean energy concepts), the panels also address Cybersecurity; Permitting and policy; and Workforce development. In addition to eight Panel discussions and the “Water and Energy” Deep Dive session, the Hawaii Energy Conference will feature four 15-minute presentations with topics ranging from disposal of lithium batteries to grid maintenance as well as sustainability efforts on Moloka‘i.
Featured Presentations Topics Include:
The Maui Method – Presented by Christopher Wegner, Hazard Mitigation Specialist with the Maui Emergency Management Agency, The Maui Method turns dangerous and damaged lithium batteries into non-hazardous waste.
Best Practices for Adding Large Load to the Grid – In this presentation, Mark Kolesar, Senior Advisor with Ankura Consulting Group, presents an overview of best practices in rate design for large loads with examples that provide adequate revenue, avoid cost shifting, maintain affordability, manage load adequacy, and manage utility risk.
Hardening the Grid – Presented by Marc Asano, the Director of Wildfire Strategy for Hawaiian Electric who oversees design and execution of quality assurance and control processes and continuous monitoring of system performance to ensure wildfire mitigations effectively reduce risk.
Energy Efficiency – Caroline Carl, Hawaii Energy, and Jennifer Yoshimura, Sustainable Moloka‘i chat about coordinated energy efficiency programs on Molokai over the last 12 years.
Christopher Wegner, MEMA
Mark Kolesar, Ankura Consulting Group
Marc Asano, Hawaiian Electric
Caroline Carl, Hawaii Energy
The HEC program includes an exhibit venue featuring the latest renewable energy technologies and services, as well as social events to facilitate networking and collaboration. Program details can be viewed here. An advance rate offers savings to those registering before May 12.
Maui Economic Development Board is a 501c3 not-for-profit and appreciates the support of 2026 Hawaii Energy Conference sponsors: AES Hawaii, Ameresco, Hawaii Gas, Hawaiian Electric, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, IBEW Local 1260, IBEW Local 1186, Ikehu Utility Solutions, Integrity Environmental, Island Energy Services, Jera Americas, JM Distributed Solutions, Johnson Controls, Kauai Island Utility Coop, Leadsun, Moss & Associates, Noresco, NovaTech Automation, Par Hawaii, Puna Geothermal Ventures, Tetra Tech, Trio Energy Alliance, Ulupono Initiative, WSP.