Neil Abercrombie is an American politician who served as the seventh governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Mazie Keiko Hirono is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Hawaii since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party,Hirono previously served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2013. Hirono also served as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1981 to 1995 and as Hawaii's tenth lieutenant governor from 1994 to 2002,under Ben Cayetano. She was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for governor of Hawaii in 2002,defeated by Republican Linda Lingle in the general election.
Gerald Michael Gabbard is an American politician,serving as the Hawaii State Senator for District 21 from the Democratic party,since 2006. Gabbard rose to prominence for efforts to prevent same-sex marriage in Hawai'i by passing a 1998 amendment to the Constitution of Hawaii to give the state legislature "the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples" under the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Gabbard,who was born in American Samoa,is the first person of Samoan descent to serve in the Hawaii Senate.
Brian Emanuel Schatz is an American educator and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Hawaii,a seat he has held since 2012. A member of the Democratic Party,Schatz served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006,representing the 25th legislative district;as the chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii from 2008 to 2010;and as the 12th lieutenant governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2012.
A Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is a regulation that requires the increased production of energy from renewable energy sources,such as wind,solar,biomass,and geothermal,which have been adopted in 38 of 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The United States federal RPS is called the Renewable Electricity Standard (RES). Several states have clean energy standards,which also allow for resources that do not produce emissions,such as large hydropower and nuclear power.
Hawaiian Electric Industries,Inc. (HEI) is the largest supplier of electricity in the U.S. state of Hawaii,supplying power to 95% of Hawaii's population through its electric utilities:Hawaiian Electric Company serving Oahu,Hawai'i Electric Light Company serving The Big Island,and Maui Electric Company serving Maui,Lanai and Molakai. In addition,HEI owns a financial institution serving Hawaii,American Savings Bank,and a clean energy and sustainability company,Pacific Current LLC.
Kunia Camp is an unincorporated community on the island of Oahu in Honolulu County,Hawaii,United States. It lies along Hawaii Route 750 northwest of downtown Honolulu,the county seat of Honolulu County. Its elevation is 883 feet (269 m). It has a post office,with the ZIP code of 96759.
The energy sector in Hawaii has rapidly adopted solar power due to the high costs of electricity,and good solar resources,and has one of the highest per capita rates of solar power in the United States. Hawaii's imported energy costs,mostly for imported petroleum and coal,are three to four times higher than the mainland,so Hawaii has motivation to become one of the highest users of solar energy. Hawaii was the first state in the United States to reach grid parity for photovoltaics. Its tropical location provides abundant ambient energy.
Net metering is a policy by many states in the United States designed to help the adoption of renewable energy. Net metering was pioneered in the United States as a way to allow solar and wind to provide electricity whenever available and allow use of that electricity whenever it was needed,beginning with utilities in Idaho in 1980,and in Arizona in 1981. In 1983,Minnesota passed the first state net metering law. As of March 2015,44 states and Washington,D.C. have developed mandatory net metering rules for at least some utilities. However,although the states' rules are clear,few utilities actually compensate at full retail rates.
NextEra Energy,Inc. is an American energy company with about 58 GW of generating capacity,revenues of over $18 billion in 2020,and about 14,900 employees throughout the US and Canada. It is the world's largest electric utility holding company by market capitalization,with a valuation of over $120 billion as of Nov 2023. Its subsidiaries include Florida Power &Light (FPL),NextEra Energy Resources (NEER),NextEra Energy Partners,Gulf Power Company,and NextEra Energy Services.
Energy in the U.S. state of Hawaii is produced from a mixture of fossil fuel and renewable resources. Producing energy is complicated by the state's isolated location and lack of fossil fuel resources. The state relies heavily on imports of petroleum. Hawaii has the highest share of petroleum use in the United States,with about 62% of electricity coming from oil in 2017. As of 2021 renewable energy made up 34.5% on Oahu,Maui and the island of Hawaii.
Stanley Chang is a Democratic member of the Hawaii State Senate,representing the 9th district. Before entering the legislature,he served as a Honolulu city councilman. He defeated Sam Slom,the last remaining Republican in the Hawaii State Senate,in 2016. Chang faced Slom a second time in 2020,and won reelection.
The Hawaii Marriage Equality Act of 2013 is legislation passed by the Hawaii State Legislature as Senate Bill 1 (SB1) and signed by Governor Neil Abercrombie which legalized same-sex marriage in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Prior to the bill's enactment,same-sex couples in the state of Hawaii were allowed to form civil unions or reciprocal beneficiary relationships;however,civil unions are both legally limited to civil officials in their performance and unrecognized by the federal government,and RBRs are even more limited by the rights and privileges accorded.
Ryan I. Yamane is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from November 2004 to January 2023 representing District 37.
James "Jimmy" Kunane Tokioka is an American politician and was a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from November 2006 to January 2023,most recently representing District 16. He currently serves as the Director of the Department of Business,Economic Development,and Tourism of Hawaiʻi in the cabinet of Governor Josh Green.
Sylvia Jung Luke is an American attorney and politician who is serving as the 16th lieutenant governor of Hawaii. She served as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives for 24 years,from 1998 until her election as lieutenant governor in 2022. She is the first Korean American politician ever elected to a statewide office in the United States.
Arizona House Bill 2005 is state-level legislation introduced in the Arizona State Legislature and signed into law in 2018.
Kawailoa Wind Farm is a wind farm near the Waimea Valley,on the North Shore of Oahu. Commissioned in 2011,it comprises 28 wind turbines. At maximum capacity the farm is able to produce 69 MW. Kawailoa Wind Farm has been operational since 2012 and is a part of Hawaii's renewable energy efforts. Despite its clean energy,there are unintended ecosystem impacts on some native species of birds and bats,and efforts to mitigate these threats are ongoing.
