WASHINGTON — Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday federal officials are working to help the state wean itself away from dependence on oil as its primary energy source.

Hawai'i gets 90 percent of its energy for electricity and transportation from oil, and 99 percent of the oil comes from non-U.S. sources, Lingle said.

"We are completely dependent on foreign governments for our energy security for our economic survival," the governor said at the National Governors Association annual winter meeting. "The fact is that we are the most energy-insecure state in America."

Hawai'i has set a goal of getting at least 70 percent of it power from clean energy sources by 2030.

To help attain that goal, the state signed a partnership with the Department of Energy Jan. 28 to have Hawai'i become a national model for use of renewable energy from wind power, solar power and other sources.

The three-day governors' meeting, which began Saturday, is focused on developing clean energy and alternative fuels, increasing energy efficiency and adopting clean energy techniques throughout the country.

Lingle said she met with Andy Karsner, the DOE's assistant secretary of energy efficiency and renewable energy, and other federal officials to go over ideas about their involvement in energy projects in Hawai'i.

For example, one project involves making Lana'i a model for relying 100 percent on alternative energy sources, Lingle said.

Another involves ways to absorb renewable energy from solar, wind and other sources into the electricity transmission grid, Lingle said. Those sources generate power intermittently, which poses a problem in incorporating it into the delivery system, she said.

"They are going to start to focus with us on the capture of this (energy) ... because this is going to be a big issue for us," Lingle said.

Another problem is moving energy generated on one island to another where it is needed, the governor said.

The Department of Energy also is analyzing a feasibility study done "many years ago when the Big Island and the state wanted to bring geothermal" energy to the other islands, Lingle said.

"What the governors from across the country have been hearing from everybody at the meetings is don't take anything off the table because real energy security comes from a diversity of sources," she said.

The governor has a follow-up meeting tomorrow with Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman to pin down implementation plans for the "clean energy" partnership agreement the governor signed in January.

In addition to using more alternative energy, the state wants to revamp its regulatory structure to allow power companies to recover some of their costs from investing in other energy sources.

A new model has to be created where the "utility can envision a new way to maintain shareholder value ... other than just burning oil," Lingle said.

That also is an area in which the Department of Energy plans to help with training sessions for the state's public utility commissioners, the Hawaiian Electric Company Inc., consumer advocates, legislators, environmental groups and others, Lingle said.

Reach Dennis Camire at dcamire@gns.gannett.com.