Thursday, April 30, 2015

USA, Hawaii:

Hawaii Lawmakers Agree on 100% Renewables by 2045 Mandate (Utility Dive)

A joint House-Senate committee in Hawaii agreed in a compromise on House Bill 623 to set 2045 as the target year for obtaining 100% of the state's electricity from renewables. The Senate had wanted 2050 and the House had wanted 2040.

The bill will now return to the Senate and the House. If approved by both bodies, the bill will then be sent to the governor's office for his signature.

A 100% renewables mandate would be the most ambitious by far in the U.S.

Hawaii obtained approximately 18% of its electricity from renewables in 2013, but has ambitious plans to grow that number. Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO), the state’s dominant electricity supplier, filed a plan last summer with state regulators proposing to obtain 65% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

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