By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Columnist

The vast majority of Hawai'i's energy for electricity, transportation and other purposes continues to come from fossil fuels, but there are hopeful signs for expansion in the use of renewable sources, according to Maurice Kaya, the energy, resources and technology administrator at the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Kaya spoke last week at the Hawai'i Bioenergy Conference on Kaua'i to review the state's energy situation.

He said that aviation and marine transportation have few alternatives to the use of fossil fuels, but many land-based needs can be readily met by other sources.

The percentage of fossil fuel use in the Islands has been rising for the past 40 years with the decline in plantations and their abundant source of bagasse — dried sugar cane fiber — for fuel.

In 1960, about 82 percent of the state's energy came from oil. By 1990, it was more than 91 percent. During the past decade the figure has dropped below 90 percent again, but only because of the use of coal — another fossil fuel — to produce electricity at electricity generation sites.

There are some signs of improvement. O'ahu's HPOWER plant, which burns the city's trash to make electricity, is a comparatively new addition to the grid. There is discussion on other islands of establishing similar facilities to produce power and minimize the amount of waste going into landfills.

"Hawai'i has significant renewable resources" as well, Kaya said. These include biomass, wind, solar, ocean and hydroelectric.

New wind plants are under construction or proposed on several islands, although they will remain a tiny part of the whole power picture for the near future. Utilities are promoting solar water heating, and several homes and businesses are taking advantage of the state's new net metering law to establish solar photovoltaic arrays that pump electricity onto the utility grid when they produce more than their owners can use.

Other speakers said that some alternative fuels, such as burning trees to produce electricity, are technically workable, but can't compete with fossil fuel power unless oil prices are higher than they are now.

Growing plants can provide power through other technologies as well, including converting them to alcohol or to burnable gases. Scientists in Hawai'i have done considerable research on such technologies, and further research may be able to cut costs enough that such resources can compete directly with fossil fuels, he said.

"We think the agricultural community has a major role to play," Kaya said.

Jan TenBruggencate is The Advertiser's Kaua'i bureau chief and science and environment writer. Reach him at (808) 245-3074 or e-mail jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.