KIUC Awarded Energy Technology Award at Hawaiʻi Clean Energy Day Conference

Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) President and CEO David Bissell accepted the energy technology award from Governor David Ige at the 8th Annual Hawaii Clean Energy Day Conference on August 16 in Honolulu.

According to Hawai‘i Energy Policy Forum, the awardees demonstrated outstanding achievement through transformational technologies, projects and programs leading to a clean energy future for Hawai‘i.

KIUC was awarded for Powering Kaua‘i County with 97% Renewables on the Grid. By using a combination of solar, biomass and hydroelectricity, KIUC hit 90 percent renewable generation for brief periods in 2016.

Bissell served on two panels at the conference Getting to 2030 in the Electrical Sector, and Stored Energy – Reality Check.

He shared the steps KIUC is taking and the challenges that KIUC has faced in meeting our renewable energy goals. “We are honored to be recognized that we are a leader in energy transformation and that we have gone from being a place that’s almost entirely dependent on imported oil for power generation to an industry leader in adoption of renewable energy.”

At its Membership Meeting last month, Chairman Jan TenBruggencate, said that KIUC remains on target to reach its strategic goal to produce 50 percent of its power by renewable sources by 2023 and that KIUC is leading the way in using renewables to generate electricity.

Most recently SolarCity broke ground for a 13 MW battery storage project that will help utilize renewable energy during its peak evening hours. KIUC also has a Time of Use pilot program aimed to shift load from peak hours in the evening to during the midday hours when solar power is prevalent.

KIUC continues working on developing two new dispatchable solar projects, which combined, could provide another 15 percent of the island’s energy.

The County of Kauaʻi was awarded for collaborative problem solving for Transformational Partnership Revitalizing Līhuʻe Town.

Photo by Bev Brody
Michael Hamnett, Hawaiʻi Energy Policy Forum; Brad Rockwell, KIUC Power Supply Manager; Dr. Sharon Moriwaki, Hawaiʻi Energy Policy Forum; David Bissell, KIUC President & CEO; Governor David Ige; Mayor Bernard Carvalho, County of Kauaʻi; Lee Steinmetz, Transportation Planner, County of Kauaʻi