Video: Hawaii - Transforming Energy in a Generation

clipped from www.renewableenergyworld.com Most of the world's developed islands are heavily dependent on fuel imports. The islands of Hawaii are certainly no exception and currently depend on imported fossil fuels -- mostly oil -- to deliver 90 percent of the electric power and virtually all the transport fuel consumed in the state. It's costing Hawaii nearly US $7 billion a year, 11 percent of its GDP and as a consequence, Hawaiian residents pay among the highest prices in the U.S. for fuel. But the state has a vision — and a plan — to change that and transform itself into a world model for clean and independent energy "within a generation." The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative was launched in 2008 as a partnership between the State of Hawaii and the U.S. Department of Energy. Its goal is to have renewable sources provide at least 70 percent of the Hawaii's energy needs by 2030 and it also includes a large energy efficiency component.