User:AdrianPeng2/Energy in Hawaii

Introduction
The state of Hawaii utilizes both fossil fuels and renewable resources to create it's energy. Due to its geographical location and lack of local fossil fuels sources such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal, Hawaii has to rely on importing such fuels for the majority of its energy production. Because of this, Hawaii is the most petroleum dependent state in the United States. Although Hawaii produces renewable energy mostly via photovoltaic and wind, it is still not enough to be a reliable source of energy. However, the production of renewable energy is increasing, and the state plans to be 100% reliant on clean energy by 2045.

Costs
Hawaii spends billions of dollars a year importing petroleum from areas such as Russia, Africa, Middle East, and other Pacific Rim producers. Due to this heavy reliance on importing fuel and the costs of the process, Hawaii has the highest gasoline and electricity prices in the United States. In 2018, the United States average for electricity was $0.10 per kilowatt-hour which Hawaii had tripled with around $0.30 per kilowatt-hour. The cost of petroleum products like electricity and gasoline fluctuate depending on the price of petroleum. Gasoline prices in the US are an average of approximately $2.2 per gallon while Hawaii's average is approximately $3.2 per gallon.

Energy Production
In 2018, approximately 1.845 billion gallons of petroleum was imported and a portion of that produced approximately 61.3% of the state’s annual energy. The second largest energy producer for the state was coal consumption which contributed to 11.9% of the state’s energy. Renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal, had contributed to approximately 20.8% combined. There are power plants located throughout the islands that process the fossil fuels to produce energy for their respective island. There are also wind farms and solar farms located on the islands that help produce power for the state

Energy Consumption
The transportation sector uses the most of the imported petroleum in Hawaii. In 2018, 54.5% of the imported petroleum was used for transportation. Following the transportation sector is the industrial sector which used 18.4%, then followed the commercial sector which used 14.0%, and finally the residential sector which used 11.2%.

Renewable Energy
In Hawaii, renewable energy is on the rise. In 2018, 20.8% of the state's annual energy was from renewable energy sources, and about 50% of that was from photovoltaic or solar power. Wind power generated the second most of 23.9% and biomass energy was third with 17.4%. In 2013, Hawaii produced about 1700 gigawatt-hours from renewable sources and in 2018, that number increased to 2,500 gigawatt-hours.

Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI)
In 2008, the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) was founded and it is a partnership between the state of Hawaii and the U.S. Department of Energy. The goal of HCEI is to bring together business leaders, policy makers, and citizens to lead Hawaii to energy independence. By 2030, HCEI intends to make renewable energy supply at least 70% of the state's annual energy needs and by 2045, it is expected to reach 100% of energy needs fulfilled from renewable energy. To reach this goal, HCEI is working to develop projects such as: designing cost-effective energy systems, increasing efficiency of renewable energy production, improvement of current systems, and potentially utilizing locally grown crops for the production of biomass fuels. The initiative is also working to reduce petroleum use in Hawaii's transportation sector as well as reduce annual energy consumption by 4,300 gigawatt-hours by 2030.

Solar Power
In Hawaii, solar power or photovoltaic is the most efficient form of renewable energy due to the state's high and constant exposure to the sun. It is also the most accessible for commercial use. Property owners can purchase solar panels and participate in a net metering program. This is when unused electricity produced from the solar panels gets sent back to the city through the grid for storage.

Hawaii also utilizes solar thermal systems such as solar water heaters and air conditioning.

Wind Power
Hawaii utilizes wind power by taking advantage of trade winds that constantly blow through the islands. There are currently 114 commercial wind turbines in the state and as of 2017, Hawaii generated 367 million kWh from wind power.

There are currently 2 wind farms in development.