GOVERNOR GREEN SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO PROMOTE AND EXPEDITE RENEWABLE ENERGY, REDUCING ENERGY COSTS

News Release from Office of the Governor, January 28, 2025

HONOLULU — Governor Josh Green, M.D., today unveiled an executive order to promote and expedite the development of renewable energy in the state of Hawaiʻi.

In the face of federal uncertainty regarding renewable energy and concerns over grid stability across the state, the Governor is committed to expanding and accelerating Hawaiʻi’s renewable resource development, and has outlined priorities to reduce energy costs, prevent blackouts, and slash emissions for Hawaiʻi residents and businesses.

The executive order, developed with the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office and the input of various energy stakeholders across the state over the last year, outlines new policy objectives and directives for the state of Hawaiʻi, including accelerating renewable development for neighbor island communities to hit 100% renewable portfolio standards from 2045 to 2035, setting a statewide goal of 50,000 distributed renewable energy installations (such as rooftop solar and battery systems) by 2030, and directing state departments to streamline and accelerate the permitting of renewable developments to reduce energy costs and project development timelines.

In addition, the order calls upon the Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission and Hawaiian Electric Company for support in reducing redundancies and inefficiencies in energy permitting and to prioritize reduced energy costs and energy stability for Hawaiʻi’s people.

“Hawaiʻi needs to take some drastic steps to reduce energy costs, which have continued to rise and have contributed to the high cost of living for our people,” said Governor Green. “We know that high energy costs in Hawaiʻi are due to our reliance on burning oil for electricity and old infrastructure, which is really unacceptable. We can and must do more to get this under control.”

Despite the federal administration signaling a turn away from renewables, Governor Green is doubling-down on a diversified, renewable-centered approach to cut costs and emissions.

“This EO represents the start of real action to lower costs, support a stable energy system, and reduce emissions,” said Chip Fletcher, the Governor’s climate advisor and interim dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. “Governor Green is cutting the red tape to realize our shared energy goals, including the first-ever push to get neighbor island communities to energy independence a decade sooner.”

“The goal of 50,000 distributed renewable energy installations before 2030 demonstrates the state of Hawaiʻi’s commitment to ensuring more affordable and resilient energy for Hawaiʻi’s people,” said Rocky Mould, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Solar Energy Association. “We are excited to aggressively expand opportunities for rooftop solar and energy storage and unleash its power and promise for the clean/decarbonized grid of the future under Governor Green’s leadership.”

Energy costs have risen starkly in Hawaiʻi, which has the highest average residential energy rate of any state in the U.S.

High electricity and utility costs impact households, are a drag on Hawaiʻi’s economy, and add additional tax burdens by increasing government operating expenses. Energy cost increases have represented a $15M recurring increase in the Governor’s latest biennium budget for the Department of Education’s operations alone.

A copy of the executed executive order can be found here.

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