Honolulu, Hawaii -- U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie today said new federal funding totaling $782,834 may help the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to ensure they have the necessary staffing to quickly review proposed electricity projects that will benefit Hawaii households using alternative energy.

State budget cuts have strained the PUC’s ability to respond promptly to proposed projects and keep Hawaii moving toward energy independence using ‘green’ sources of electricity,” said Abercrombie in explaining the effects of  the stimulus funding through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The department released a total of $44.2 million through the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Obama earlier this year.
 
“One such project would require Hawaiian Electric companies to provide a form of credit, or payment at above-market rates, to Hawaii households and business that generate electricity with alternative energy such as solar power. The system is called a ‘feed-in’ tariff, and it has been successful in accelerating the use of—and long-term investments in—alternative energy in Europe,” Abercrombie said. “It can have the same success in Hawaii.”

The funds are aimed at helping state utility regulators handle the large number of requests from electric utilities, such as investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, transmission lines, energy storage, smart grid, demand response equipment, and electric and hybrid-electric vehicles.

“This latest round of Economic Recovery funding from the Department of Energy should help Hawaii’s PUC to address its heavy workload and keep the momentum going to become more energy independent and energy efficient,” Abercrombie said.

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