Molokaʻi’s community-led renewable energy roadmap serves as an example for other islands

Photo: Molokaʻi Clean Energy Hui. Retrieved from hawaiipublicradio.org

The Molokaʻi community has turned energy planning upside down with a bottom-up planning process that’s working and empowering the island to chart its own renewable energy future.

For years, Molokaʻi had a reputation for saying no to renewable energy — but not because residents didn’t want it.

“Molokaʻi has had decades of community advocacy for energy needs,” said Leilani Chow, the 30-year-old mother of two from Molokaʻi who has been a leader in the island’s renewable energy advocacy.

“A lot of that advocacy looked like opposition to all of the projects that have been proposed. These projects are designed, proposed by off-island groups that were just severely misaligned with community values and lifestyle,” Chow said.

Molokaʻi currently doesn’t have utility-scale renewable energy projects and generates only 14% of its energy consumption from rooftop solar. But that’s about to change.

The community has created a roadmap to get them to 100% renewable energy with a series of projects designed by residents.

“In 2020, the Molokaʻi Clean Energy Hui formed, inspired by all these decades of community advocacy, but instead of being formed in opposition of a project we’re trying to be more proactive,” Chow said.