Hawaiian Electric seeks 70 percent carbon reduction by end of decade, net-zero by 2045
Last week, Hawaiian Electric announced a new carbon emissions goal for its power generation operations: to reduce CO2 by 70 percent as of 2030 and then to push onward to a full wipe of emissions by 2045.
Each of these would be compared to the company’s 2005 levels of CO2 generation and, according to Hawaiian Electric, would bring about a significant portion of the reductions Hawaii as a whole needs to achieve to meet national goals. The United States currently aims to cut carbon emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030 across all sectors.
Notably, net zero does not mean that Hawaiian Electric would not produce any emissions — but rather, that they would be captured or offset. Its new goals would apply to the generation owned by Hawaiian Electric and independent power producers who sell electricity to the utility.
“The runway is getting shorter all the time,” Scott Seu, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric, said. “The 2030 goal is a stretch for us, but we have to commit to bold actions in the next few years if we’re to have any hope of stalling climate change. We want to look back at this time and know we did all we could do to stop things from getting worse.”
The company also intends to close its last coal plant next year while pushing forward nearly 50,000 additional rooftop solar systems in the years ahead. In that same vein, it intends to add renewable energy projects capable of generating at least 1 GW and advance shared solar, energy storage, and geothermal resources.
Notably, Hawaiian Electric pointed out that even with the reduction in its emissions, the rest of the state economy, from transportation to agriculture, construction, and industry, would have to cut emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030 to achieve the U.S. target reiterated at the COP26 climate conference in Scotland last week.
“The climate change summit is a call to action to join with our children and grandchildren to care for island earth for future generations,” said Shelee Kimura, senior vice president of customer service and public affairs who will become president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric on Jan. 1, 2022, said. “The progress we make this decade will determine the kind of future we’re making for our families. This is a bold goal for all of Hawaii, not just Hawaiian Electric, but the good news is we’ve already made a strong start, and this commitment moves us further on the path to sustainability.”
