The islandwide blackout on Dec. 26 that lasted up to 36 hours in some parts of O'ahu was a stark reminder of the vulnerability of Hawai'i's aging electric infrastructure.

HECO's proactive communications with the state's civil defense and public safety officials and with the public during the event are commendable. I am confident that HECO will identify the causes of this particular blackout and manage accordingly for the future.

However, the blackout is a critical wake-up call to rethink how Hawai'i's overall energy infrastructure needs to be improved in order to eliminate or minimize the effect of such island-wide outages. The grid should be the focus of these discussions.

The grid that exists today was built, by and large, decades ago and served a very different Hawai'i. We must now invest in a grid that is smarter, more robust and more efficient and that will serve today's energy needs and ensure Hawai'i's energy independence and security.

Recently, there's been a great deal of thinking about and activity around Hawai'i's energy future, much of it as part of the Hawai'i Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI), launched one year ago through the state's unique partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy.

How will we best incorporate wind, solar, geothermal, biofuels, and ocean energy and reduce Hawai'i's 90 percent dependence on foreign oil?

How large of a role can we expect for electric vehicles as well as plug-in hybrids?

How can we develop deep reductions in energy demand by making our residences and buildings more energy efficient?

How do we bring about stable and lower energy prices to Hawai'i's residents?

How do we increase our energy reliability and security statewide?

A "smart grid" is at the center all of these questions, and cross-cuts many HCEI efforts and activities. To achieve energy independence and reliable power service, Hawai'i needs a modernized power grid that features "self-healing" capabilities to automatically avoid or mitigate power outages; coordinate and accommodate all generation and storage options; and enable the consumers to have electricity use options that also allow the utility to operate the grid more efficiently.

With technical support from the Department of Energy through the HCEI, the state is modeling and implementing small-scale smart grids, many of which could eventually be connected with a larger smart grid. On this larger scale, Hawai'i's smart grid could bring clean energy from where it is made to where it is needed, enable better communication and control, make the grid less prone to power outages, and accelerate the development of Hawai'i's renewable energy market.

Tomorrow's legislative energy committee hearings (State Capitol Conference Room 229, 2 p.m.) and the upcoming legislative session will address Hawai'i's energy infrastructure needs. Let's use the recent blackout as our wake-up call to move forward on sensible investments — both public and private — to better secure Hawai'i's energy future.

Ted Liu is director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.