Faculty author temporarily withdraws UHERO report on Hawaiʻi's electricity future

News Release from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Jul 7, 2026

The faculty author of the “Hawaiʻi's Electricity Future: Three Findings on Solar Reform, Enhanced Geothermal, and the JERA LNG Proposal” report has informed UHERO that he is temporarily withdrawing the report. He intends to correct identified errors, complete a comprehensive review, seek additional input and feedback from stakeholders and republish a revised edition.

The findings and conclusions in any UHERO publication are those of its authors, not of UHERO or the University of Hawaiʻi. UHERO does not take positions on policy questions. UHERO’s role is to provide the evidence and analysis that decision-makers and the public need, not to advocate for particular outcomes.

UHERO reports regularly address issues of statewide importance, and it is essential that they meet the highest standards of accuracy and transparency. Public confidence depends on those standards being consistently upheld. In light of this matter, UHERO is reviewing its publication standards to ensure they remain clear and are applied consistently.

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YOU CAN STILL READ: Complete Debunk: UHERO Fakes Findings to Benefit Solar Lobby “It took me about one hour to debunk this UHERO report.  It just wasn't that hard.”

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“That study was baloney” -- Governor Green

“That study, I have to say, was baloney,” Governor Green said of the report. “The premise of that study, that we’re suddenly going to magically find over 30,000 acres of land, we’re suddenly going to have all the resources that you want to invest in, huge tax break for solar, that’s exactly the opposite of reality. Also, unfortunately, one of the individuals on that study, and this is going to come out very broadly, I believe, this week, was completely compromised. They run a think tank that is all in on one issue, and that is fully renewable solar. Again, I love solar, but you can't do it solo, and that’s why we have some of the highest rates of energy in the country, because we’ve not diversified our energy portfolio.”  -- Gov Green, July 6, 2026 KHON

EDITOR’s NOTE: Green is talking about Mathias Fripp a former UH professor who now works for ‘Energy Innovation Policy & Technology, LLC’ a solar/wind thinktank: Matthias Fripp • Energy Innovation

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UHERO temporarily withdraws energy report, citing errors

SA: …In an emailed statement Tuesday, Green told the Star-Advertiser that he appreciated UHERO for recognizing “the flaws and bias that the compromised ‘study’ demonstrated.”

“The faulty study and analysis, deeply compromised by vested interests, threatens to set back our collective opportunity to build a sane bridge to a fully renewable future,” Green said. “The cost of energy and Hawaii’s energy future is a serious issue with extraordinary complexity and it deserves a sober, thoughtful and honest assessment.”

Neither Roberts nor Hartley could be reached for comment by deadline.

The original report found solar’s “soft costs,” such as procurement and permitting, are the driver behind it being more expensive in Hawaii than on the mainland — just one of many findings that Hawaiian Electric Co. spokesperson Jim Kelly rejected in a Honolulu Star-Advertiser story last week.

Kelly said the “soft costs” claim ignored the premium that the state faces on the cost and availability of labor, and the cost of shipping steel, concrete and heavy equipment. He also said the report “closely scrutinizes the cost of building power plants but gives the benefit of the doubt to solar and storage pricing and largely ignores the impracticality of covering 31,000 acres on Oahu — about 60% of developable land — with solar panels and batteries.”

The math included in the withdrawn report also relied on incorrect numbers to calculate utility-scale solar’s cost in cents per kilowatt-hour, Kelly said, with the actual numbers being about double what was used in the report’s calculations.

HECO spokesperson Darren Pai told the Star-Advertiser that the company raised the math concern with UHERO, which added a correction before ultimately removing the report from its website.

“We appreciate that they looked at the concerns that we and others raised,” Pai said.

UHERO Executive Director Carl Bonham confirmed to the Star-Advertiser on Tuesday that HECO raised the mathematical error with Roberts.

Bonham said it was Roberts’ decision to withdraw the report to address the corrections and criticisms.

It’s the first published report that UHERO has withdrawn to his knowledge, Bonham said, adding that the organization has issued corrections before….

read … UHERO temporarily withdraws energy report, citing errors | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Bogus Solar Pricing Used in Report

CB: … Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc. ...  pointed out that the report used outdated 2018 data on the price of electricity produced by industrial solar farms. Gov. Josh Green ... called the report “baloney.”…

Last week, Roberts published a correction to the “Hawaii’s Electricity Future” study, thanking HECO for pointing out the error in the solar pricing data but said at the time that the error didn’t affect the report’s overall fundings….

Jim Kelly, HECO’s vice president of government and community relations and corporate communications, applauded the (withdrawal).  “We appreciate them taking a look at this and considering the questions we and others raised,” Kelly said. ...

read … UH Expert Withdraws Paper Calling For More Solar Instead Of Power Plants - Honolulu Civil Beat