Marumoto Briefs Mainland Lawmakers on Hawaii's Renewable Energy Achievements
News Release from Office of Rep Barbara Marumoto
Des Moines, Iowa - Rep. Barbara Marumoto gave a presentation on the state of renewable energy in Hawaii at the Women in Government Fourth Annual Energy Summit in Des Moines, Iowa. She, along with other women legislators from across the U.S., are discussing current and emerging energy policies, as well as energy efficiency, innovations, and new technology. The summit is hosted by the Women in Government Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, D.C.
Marumoto informed her fellow legislators that Hawaii's dependence on fossil fuels is driving the development of renewable energy and desire for greater self-sufficiency, and that Hawaii's Clean Energy Initiative (70% clean energy by 2030, with 40% coming from locally generated renewable sources and 30% from efficiency measures) is the most aggressive state policy in the country.
Mainland legislators are already familiar with wind energy, photovoltaic (PV) systems, and biofuel development, but Hawaii is uniquely positioned to lead the nation in the use of geothermal energy, wave energy, and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) – a point emphasized by Marumoto.
According to Marumoto, "Since geothermal resources are found only on the neighbor islands, any energy produced there would be difficult to transmit to Oahu unless an undersea transmission cable is built. Therefore, wind and wave energy – along with OTEC – may be the most economical and practical way to power Oahu, where most of the energy demand is located."
Rep. Marumoto's presentation handout can be downloaded from: LINK
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