The U.S. Pacific Command is joining with the state of Hawai'i in pursuing renewable energy goals, with the command looking to meet or exceed the state's clean energy and conservation targets over the next 21 years.

The command is expected formally to sign off on a document supporting the Hawai'i Clean Energy Initiative. The command's energy strategy calls for it to at least meet the Energy Initiative's target of getting 70 percent of energy from renewable sources by the year 2030.

"They actually have a pretty broad set of things they've done and are intending to do," said Ted Liu, state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism director.

The support of the initiative underscores the Defense Department's growing role in renewable energy, and its interest in enacting clean energy programs here. Because of this, and through its funding of test projects in wave energy, ocean thermal conversion and hydrogen production, the department has quietly become one of the prime players in Hawai'i's efforts to shift to renewable energy sources.

A loose working partnership has formed between the state and Pacific Command, which has convened an energy and strategy council that involves all branches of the military.

The reasons for the joint interest in energy are obvious, with the Department of Defense wanting to lower use of foreign oil for national security reasons while meeting federal mandates for clean energy use.

Hawai'i, which gets about 90 percent of its energy from petroleum products, wants to become the nation's leader in renewables by switching to clean energy sources.

According to Ross Roley of the Pacific Command, the lessons learned and practices developed here could be spread elsewhere in the command, such as bases in Alaska and on Guam.

The Pacific Command signed up to host the state's clean energy conference last week in Waikiki, along with the Pentagon's Defense Energy Support Center, which helps procure the massive amounts of fuel used annually by the military.

"We have a very keen interest," said Frank Pane, director, energy plans and programs for the Defense Energy Support Center. "The department considers itself a leader in the push toward renewable energy."

Ted Peck, state energy administrator, said the Department of Defense is already a leader when it comes to renewables here, with photovoltaic installations at several buildings, tests of wave-generated electricity off Marine Corps Base Hawaii and using photovoltaic and wind energy to produce hydrogen for vehicles used in flight lines at Hickam Air Force Base.

The Marine Corps may install a similar hydrogen plant in Kane'ohe, while other plans could include a 60- to 70-megawatt solar farm and bioenergy plant. Last month, the Navy awarded an $8.1 million contract to Lockheed Martin Corp. to advance development of ocean thermal energy conversion systems, something that could result in a 10-megawatt plant being built off Kahe Point.

The state has talked to the military about locating transmission stations for a proposed 30-megawatt windfarm in Kahuku on Army land. Peck said the military is also supporting the state's proposed transmission cable between wind farms on Lana'i, Moloka'i and O'ahu.

There also is joint experimentation with various groups on smart grids, liquid desiccant solar ventilation air conditioning and achieving energy savings through use of spray foam insulation.

The Defense Energy Support Center figures to be a prime player in the development of renewables nationally since it is looking for ways to help the military meet federal mandates for reducing energy consumption under the Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007 and the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The latter law requires at least 5 percent of electricity used by federal facilities and fleets be from renewable sources during the next two fiscal years. This will increase to 7.5 percent in fiscal 2013.

Another law, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2007, requires installations to produce or procure one quarter of their electricity from renewables by 2025.

The center is also working to help the Air Force get 50 percent of its domestic aviation fuel from alternate sources by 2016. That could be a boon to local companies hoping to become players in biofuels and oil produced from algae.

But by agreeing to meet the Hawai'i requirements, the military hopes to go beyond federal mandates. The state initiative calls for meeting the 25 percent renewable electricity goal five years earlier than 2025, and for 40 percent to be achiev-ed by 2030.

The department also has programs to reduce use of energy, while requiring new buildings reduce fossil-fuel energy usage by 65 percent by 2015.

All of this could reduce the military's electricity bill by $42 million annually, according to one projection.