Co-Design Molokai’s Renewable Energy Future

Infographic courtesy of Sust’ainable Molokai.

Sustʻainable Molokai News Release

Are you interested in learning about clean energy solutions designed by and for the Molokai community? If so, join the Molokai Clean Energy Hui (MCEH) next Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 5:30 p.m. for a community meeting on the Molokai Community Energy Resilience Action Plan (Molokai CERAP).

Today, Molokai electricity remains dependent on expensive and environmentally damaging fossil fuels. While Molokai residents are the lowest electrical consumers in Hawaii, Molokai continues to have the highest electrical costs in the country. Fortunately, there is a way for you, the community, to steer what types of technology and energy storage options we would like to see on Molokai. 

MCEH is facilitating the development of the Molokai CERAP, an independent, island-wide, community-led, and expert-informed collaborative planning process to increase renewable energy on Molokai while honoring the culture and the ʻaina. In short, the Molokai CERAP provides the opportunity to co-design Molokai’s renewable energy future. The plan’s success is dependent on community participation and attending our next MCEH community meeting is the best way to get involved early.

On Wednesday, Nov. 17 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the MCEH will be holding our second online community meeting via Zoom. In this meeting, we will share the steps and timeline for developing the Molokai CERAP. We will also hear from technical experts from the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) and learn about their proposed process for collaborating with the community on the Molokai CERAP, which officially launches in January 2022.

To design our renewable energy future, we need your manaʻo on what the community wants to know about Molokai’s energy system and how you want to learn about it! Then we will identify what kinds of educational workshops are needed so everyone can provide well-informed and meaningful feedback to the plan. We want to hear from you! Do you want to know more about energy technologies, our grid or what goes into the cost of energy? Do you prefer short videos, in-person workshops or sharable content on social media?

Please plan to attend this meeting because renewable energy affects your ʻohana’s future and join the “Molokai Renewable Energy” Facebook group for updates. To join the meeting, please visit linktr.ee/MolokaiCleanEnergyHui. 

The Molokai Clean Energy Hui is an independent community-led group committed to helping Molokai become the resilient, clean energy community we all want to live in. Launched and facilitated by Sust‘ainable Molokai, which also runs the popular Hui Up appliance exchange program, MCEH helps our community understand and engage effectively with renewable energy projects, planning, and policy. The group also provides input to potential energy proposals about concerns regarding the impacts and benefits to Molokai.