Community Voice
Projects take too long to permit, interconnect and construct. Those delays carry real consequences.
By Dan Shugar
May 20, 2026 · 4 min read
Dan Shugar
Projects take too long to permit, interconnect and construct. Those delays carry real consequences.
Hawai‘i has long been an important proving ground for solar energy.
Back in 1996, I was fortunate to work alongside many of the people who helped bring online one of the state’s first market-based solar PV systems at Mauna Lani — a 100 kilowatt project that was ambitious for its time.
Three decades later, Hawai‘i has deployed more than two gigawatts of solar — enough annual generation to serve more than half a million homes — and expanded battery storage to roughly 1.8 gigawatt-hours. Solar now provides more than 25% of the state’s electricity.
Add wind and geothermal, and renewables now account for more than 35% of the grid. For an island chain sitting 2,500 miles from the mainland, that is remarkable progress.
But progress and completion are two very different things.
Hawai‘i remains heavily dependent on imported oil and aging grid infrastructure. The state still burns more than 25,000 barrels of oil every day for electricity generation.
You don’t need a textbook on geopolitics to understand the vulnerability. One disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, oil jumps $40 a barrel, and Hawai‘i suddenly faces hundreds of millions of dollars in additional energy costs.
That volatility doesn’t stay confined to global commodity markets. It lands directly on monthly utility bills. Without the renewable energy now operating across the islands, electricity rates in Hawai‘i could be 25% to 75% higher today.
Utility-scale solar paired with battery storage is now one of the lowest-cost forms of new electricity available. More importantly for Hawai‘i, it offers something imported fuel never can: predictability. Sunlight does not become more expensive because of geopolitical instability, refinery outages, or disruptions in global shipping lanes.
Hawai‘i already knows this. The state has demonstrated how to build a more resilient energy system. The technology works. The deployment experience exists. The private capital is available. The workforce opportunity is real.
What is needed is urgency and speed.
Hawai‘i needs faster deployment, faster permitting, faster interconnection and collaboration between utilities, policymakers, developers and local communities. And the only way to get this done is to work together.
Projects take too long to permit, interconnect and construct. Those delays carry real consequences because every year the state remains more dependent on imported fuel than it needs to be, residents remain exposed to another cycle of global price shocks.
None of this is easy. Hawai‘i operates one of the most technically complex grid environments in the country. Integrating large amounts of renewable energy on island systems requires storage, transmission upgrades, careful planning, and close coordination between utilities, regulators, developers and communities.
But again, Hawai‘i has already proven this model works.
In many ways, the state has already solved energy challenges the rest of the country is just now experiencing. Hawai‘i did not inherit cheap hydropower or abundant natural gas. It has had to build its transition through innovation, investment, and a willingness to move earlier.
Hawai‘i has an opportunity to become a global model for modern grid resilience — not someday, but now. Every solar project, every battery installation, and every improvement in interconnection speed delivers lower costs, greater energy security, and long-term stability for local communities.
The rest of the world is watching because Hawai‘i is solving problems many other regions will soon face themselves.
The energy transition is no longer a question. Hawai‘i knows it. Let’s get it done.
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Dan Shugar
For over 30 years, Dan Shugar has been a leading voice in business, technology and climate policy, advancing solar and climate technology solutions in the U.S. and around the globe. As founder and CEO of Nextpower (formerly Nextracker), Dan brings solar expertise and technology innovation together.
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Dan, we need to Speed up residential Solar + Battery for All and not utility scale Solar to lower our monthly electricity bill. In 2015 Hawaii was 20% Coal and 80% Oil for electricity generation and electricity rate was 25cents/kWh. Now 11 years later in 2026 Coal is 0% and Oil drops to 60% with renewables at 38% electricity rates up to 40cents/kWh. More Solar + Battery Farms will drive the rates up to over 60cents/kWh. Only, residential level renewables, more Rooftop Solar + Battery, new Off-Grid Balcony-Solar + Battery and new Off-Grid Battery-Only with Time-of-Use rates will lower residential customer monthly utility bill by 50% to 90% and low cost of equipment with HECO high electricity rates makes Payback period short from 2.5 years to 7 years! Utility scale solar will just widen the Energy Divide between the “Haves” with rooftop Solar who pay the minimum HECO monthly bill of $32/month and the “Have Nots” who pay hundreds of $/month. Residential renewables with Time-Of-Use rates brings Energy Equity to All, utility scale renewables does not. The increased costs and electricity rates from renewables end up being paid for by the “Have Nots”.
JOBTech · 58 minutes ago
“Sunlight does not become more expensive because of geopolitical instability, refinery outages, or disruptions in global shipping lanes.”And yet the obvious is ignored by so many.
Joseppi · 2 hours ago
Bill McKibben in his eminently readable recent book “Here Comes the Sun” incorporates this strong plea for speeding up the process of disseminating and distributing electricity from solar, wind, and other renewable sources. He talks about how wealth and power become concentrated in the hands of a few people due to the scarcity of, difficult and restricted accessibility to, and control over fossil fuels. In contrast, solar and wind based power are highly accessible to most people, especially people who live near the equator who, in this fossil-fuel-based world, are among the electricity-impoverished. Little wonder that certain powerful people are invested in maintaining fossil fuel’s grip on the world.
ConcernedInMakakilo · 5 hours ago
Ideas is the place you’ll find essays, analysis and opinion on public affairs in Hawaiʻi. We want to showcase smart ideas about the future of Hawaiʻi, from the state’s sharpest thinkers, to stretch our collective thinking about a problem or an issue. Email news@civilbeat.org to submit an idea.
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