Hawaii Regional Interest Group (RIG)

Hello Hawaii RIG members!

The last month has seen a number of interesting developments in the industry, as interest and investment continue to grow. Here at home, we had the 11th annual Hawaii Energy Conference, which featured three particularly notable events:

Pathways for Geothermal Energy panel, featuring our own Nicole Lautze and Michael Kaleikini, moderation by Noe Kalipi of Progression / Aukahi Energy, and a cameo by Colton Ching (Richard Ha, sorry you couldn’t make it!). The audience got a broad overview of geothermal prospects in Hawaii and an explanation of slim hole test wells; it seemed very well received, as best I can judge from the audience questions.
Our members Murray Clay and Michael Colon presented the results of Ulupono’s statewide survey of renewable energy views. Unsurprisingly costs remain a primary concern for residents. On geothermal energy, some very favorable results: statewide, 47% support geothermal energy, 27% neutral, and only 26% are in opposition.
Gov. Green gave a speech calling for a new, open-minded discussion of energy sources for the state and tasked Mark Glick and HSEO to lead the discussion. He specifically ruled out nuclear energy, gave some praise for the promise of geothermal, and then called for another look at LNG imports. It would be easy to jump on the negatives of LNG, but perhaps more productive to latch onto his interest in geothermal, and the potentially high ROI of a statewide test well program, before we spend billions on an LNG terminal and further entrench our dependence on imported fuels.
Speaking of test wells, Nicole is working towards mobilizing with that state funding allocated this session, and we hope to have more news in the next month.

Lastly, join me in welcoming Peter Sternlicht of Sustainable Energy Hawaii as an additional RIG Champion. His organization shares many common goals with Geothermal Rising, and Nicole and I are glad to have a leader who is an outspoken and respected member of the big island community.

Peter and I will be organizing pau hana events this summer in Hilo and Honolulu – dates to be announced soon!

Mahalo,

Keil

Aloha, Hawaii RIG! 

This is our first email to our new Hawaii RIG distribution list. On behalf of our founder, Dr. Nicole Lautze, mahalo to those of you who signed the petition establishing our RIG!

You might be wondering "what is the Hawaii RIG?"

It's one of several locally focused Regional Interest Groups (RIGs) within Geothermal Rising. If you’re new to our community, welcome, and thanks for joining the conversation! My name is Keil Anderson, and I work for Burns & McDonnell, an international engineering company with offices in Honolulu and Hilo. I spent the first part of my career serving heavy industry, but a few years ago my family decided it was time for a change, relocated to Honolulu, and I pivoted to a new sector that I’m very passionate about – renewable energy. I met Nicole at the Hawaii Energy Conference last year, and since then we’ve collaborated with the Hawaii State Energy Office to drive progress in the exploration of our local resources.

Our goals are to build the geothermal advocate community, provide educational opportunities, and spread the word about the benefits of geothermal energy. The more reach we have, the better, so please invite friends in your networks to join, and if you have a friend that is already a member of GR in Hawaii but did not receive this email, please have them ensure their entire GR profile is complete and join the RIG via the below link:
Hawaii Regional Interest Group (RIG) | Geothermal Rising :: Using the Earth to Save the Earth

We are continuing to build out our RIG, so look for updates in the near future via these emails, LinkedIn (feel free to connect with me!), and the GR calendar: https://www.geothermal.org/events.

I am excited to announce our first event for the Hawaii RIG, this summer, culminating in the Geothermal Rising conference October 27-30 at the Hilton Waikoloa. Registration is open now and a special rate hotel block is available. Those rooms will go quickly, so don't wait:
2024 Geothermal Rising Conference (mygeoenergynow.org)

I believe we’re on the cusp of significant expansion in the industry, and this conference provides an incredible opportunity to bring much-deserved attention to our home state. I would like to mobilize our local advocate community in advance of that conference, via social networking events. I'll be organizing at least one pau hana in Honolulu this summer.

These events will be free thanks to the generous sponsorship of GR, Burns & McDonnell, and other partners, and we hope to see you all there. Please watch your email for more details save-the-date and RSVP links.

Lastly, if you’ve not yet registered, I highly encourage you all to attend this year’s Hawaii Energy Conference in Kahului this month – May 22/23rd. Among other exciting topics, our own members Richard Ha, Mike Kaleikini and Nicole Lautze will participate in the panel “Pathways for Geothermal Energy”, moderated by Noe Kalipi. Hope to see you there!
Hawaii Energy Conference

Looking forward to engaging with each of you to build a strong Hawaii RIG!

Mahalo,

Keil Anderson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/keilanderson/

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