Hawaii closes last-standing coal plant and strives for renewables

Pouring water over the burning ashes of the coal industry will not come without consequences for locals, either.

With more-expensive oil picking up the slack from now-abandoned coal, citizens will face a 7 percent increase in electricity bills – something many will be unhappy with as the cost of living continues to rise.

Being a regulated monopoly, The Hawaiian Electric Company has said that there is not much they can do to keep prices low for consumers. It also means that (at least for now) Hawaii will remain the most reliant on petroleum out of all the American states.

Still, reducing the use of coal for energy is worth celebrating, as it accounted for over 40 percent of all CO2 emitted globally last year. By shutting the doors of the coal plant, 1.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases will be reduced in the atmosphere every year.

Hawaiian Gov. David Ige announced that turning away from cheap, but highly pollutant coal was entirely motivated by the need to protect the planet. This is because the people of Hawaii, like many other island nations, have started to experience the serious consequences of the climate crisis.

The cluster of islands located in the Pacific are witnessing almost every aspect of a changing climate, from rising sea levels that erode away at coastlines to coral bleaching caused by warmer ocean temperatures.

Extreme weather events such as strong storms and prolonged drought have also become more frequent, raising concerns over potential flooding and wildfires. This is why the green sector come-up in Hawaii – and elsewhere – must be hasty.

The good news is, Hawaii has a serious advantage when it comes to renewables. As a volcanic island located in the middle of the ocean, it has the ability to harness numerous sources of energy such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, and geothermal energy.

The state already generates close to 40 percent of its power through these resources, and it wouldn’t be a bad guess to say that – with continued growth, of course – Hawaii could one day join Iceland as a pioneer in the green sector.

Leaders from the clean energy division of the now-shut coal plant have already launched solar-projects across the state, including one in Oahu to be completed next year. Their vision of the future is one that sees energy in Hawaii becoming ‘cheap, very cheap, abundant, and renewable.’

With green investments made in the right areas, I don’t see why not!