MEDIA RELEASE

The Blue Planet Foundation has released its first annual Energy Report Card for Hawaii. The data-rich, 42-page progress report provides a wide-angle perspective on Hawaii’s energy transformation, taking a look at five key metrics including Transportation, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Smart Grid, and Economics.

Supporting drivers are also analyzed to identify gaps in current industry efforts, areas of success, and opportunities for improvement. In the 2013 report card, Hawaii receives an overall grade of C–.

“We can only manage what we measure,” said Blue Planet Foundation CEO Jeff Mikulina, explaining that Blue Planet developed the report card in response to the need for an objective examination of Hawaii’s progress to a clean energy future. The grades were determined as a reflection of the state’s progress toward the benchmark of energy independence by 2030.

Positive performance in energy efficiency stands out as a bright spot, with per capita electricity generation dropping steadily below the target trend since 2008.

“Hawaii can be proud of its success in reducing energy use per person. Homeowners are businesses are increasingly taking control of their energy future through efficiency and rooftop solar,” Mikulina said. “Hawaii is literally doing more with less.”

The report card also shows that transportation, which accounts for two-thirds of Hawaii’s fossil fuel consumption, remains an area that demands improvement. Land transportation offers the most immediate opportunities for reducing fuel consumption. Greater fuel efficiency, alternative fuels, lowering mileage, and electric vehicles all have roles to play.

The key challenge is identifying substitutes for aviation fuels, highlighting the need to focus on local biofuels for transportation rather than electricity generation.

Blue Planet, whose mission is to clear the path for clean energy, plans to update the Energy Report Card annually to keep progress toward energy independence on track and focus solutions in areas that need it most.

Blue Planet Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to clearing the path for clean energy: We inspire leaders to change the rules, and accelerate cost-effective, secure, renewable energy. We inspire communities to adopt smart, replicable energy solutions. We inspire everyone to believe in the power and possibility of a future beyond fossil fuels.

— Find out more:
www.blueplanetfoundation.org
www.hawaiienergyreportcard.org