Schatz: Kauai And Honolulu Selected To Participate In Energy Department Program To Help Transition To Resilient Clean Energy Solutions

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Honolulu and Kauai as part of the agency’s Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP). The DOE will provide federal assistance to bolster their transportation and electric grid infrastructure, reduce the risk of outages, and improve their future energy and economic outlook. ETIPP is designed for remote and island communities, which often face high energy costs and vulnerable energy infrastructure due to their geographic isolation and increased risk of climate-induced natural disasters.

With help from DOE’s ETIPP, Honolulu and Kauai will leverage the world-class expertise of DOE’s experts and national labs to advance local clean energy solutions and improve resilience. ETIPP prioritizes a community-led and inclusive approach by identifying the energy challenges of each community and providing strategic assistance to help them determine and direct their energy transition.

“For our island state that has long depended on imported oil, a clean energy future means resiliency and economic security. I want to thank the Department of Energy for selecting two Hawai‘i communities for the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project. These projects address two of the most important steps in achieving our goal to become carbon negative by 2045—clean transportation and grid improvements,” said Senator Schatz.

The selected communities in Hawai‘i include: 

• Honolulu – To harden their electrical infrastructure from the threat of severe weather, Honolulu will look to develop a hybrid microgrid opportunity map to understand how distributed grids can support resilience at the micro and macro levels.
• Kauai – Through ETIPP, Kauai will explore alternative and autonomous mobility options for its residents and tourists to move away from fossil-fuel powered single occupancy vehicles and toward a modern, clean transportation system.

These projects are supported by the cross-cutting expertise of DOE’s Office of Electricity, as well as the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office, Water Power Technologies Office, and Energy Transitions Initiative. Five regional stakeholder engagement partners will help communities identify and prioritize their energy resilience needs and connect them to experts from DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

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