Hawaii has been awarded a $500,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to study renewable energy technologies for the state.

The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism said it will use the grant to study four specific areas:

• Setting up undersea cables to deliver energy generated from wind and solar sources to Oahu from Lanai and Molokai.

• Evaluating how the use of electric vehicles would fit into the electrical grid.

• Upgrading and expanding Oahu’s electrical grid to accept more renewable energy.

• Pilot projects to test renewable energy storage systems.

DBEDT said it will partner on the studies with Hawaiian Electric Co., wind farm operator First Wind, landowner Castle & Cooke and Better Place, a California-based startup in the electric car industry.

The grant adds to previous energy grants the state has received this year, including $300,000 to study undersea cabling, and $50,000 to study using electric vehicles in Hawaii.

The projects are part of Gov. Linda Lingle’s Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, which aims to have renewable energy sources supply 70 percent of the state’s power needs by 2030.

Credits: Biz Journals