Hawaii officially declared its commitment to leaving the traditional power sector this week, when they received their final shipment of coal.
On Wednesday, the state received 15000 tons of coal bound to be used in the AES Hawaii power plant. It's the largest power plant in Oahu and is the main energy source.
Even though Hawaii intends to increase its dependence on renewable energy sources, the governor acknowledged that the transition could be difficult.
“Renewable energy projects to replace coal are coming online with more on the way,” the governor said. “Even when we're facing challenges when making this change this is the best option for our planet and our communities. It will make Hawai`i an improved home for our children as well as our children’s children.”
Renewable energy is notoriously more costly and less efficient as fossil fuels. According to some estimates, it will require at least $5 trillion dollars investment to convert the entire nation to renewable energy, and that's a huge amount of infrastructure to provide power for large areas. The state of California is another state that has pledged to remove its dependence on fossil fuels – blackouts in the form of rolling blackouts and problems with electrical grids are very common. Renewables aren't a reliable energy source yet and are significantly costlier on a massive scale.
Coal was prohibited in Hawaii in 2020.
