It was a long flight back from Hawaiʻi to Aotearoa. It gave me time to reflect on a busy week of meetings with Native Hawaiian advocates for geothermal energy, Hawaiʻi’s Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, and Hawaiʻi island lawmakers interested in learning more about the treasure that the island possesses in terms of untapped energy.
I was in Hawaii at the invitation of Waika Consulting, a company formed by the Innovations Development Group with whom I have worked on geothermal projects for two Maori trusts in Aotearoa (New Zealand).
That treasure — untapped geothermal energy — is especially significant in terms of freeing the people of Hawaiʻi island from the burden of the nation’s highest energy prices that make it hard for families to make ends meet and for businesses to thrive. It was clear to me that DBEDT recognizes how critical lowering the price of energy is to stimulating economic development.
Hawaiʻi is on the threshold of change that has been long in coming. I heard rising concern about people leaving the state in search of more affordable places to live. Hawaiʻi residents cannot afford to keep paying nearly 47 cents per kWh. So it’s not surprising that the exodus is very evident on Hawaiʻi island…