State of Hawaii Energy Information

Here are some interesting facts about energy generation and use in the State of Hawaii. This data page will be updated, but if you want to see the original source, please point your web browser at the Energy Information Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy. www.eia.doe.gov

• Oahu generates about 95 percent of its energy from oil. Oil is a fossil fuel and therefore a non-renewable resource.  Its combustion can also be a significant source of air pollution, including carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide (both greenhouse gases), smog, and particulate matter. It is also becoming steadily more expensive.

• According to the Energy Information Agency (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy, Hawaii consumed over 15 million barrels of oil in 2004 to generate electricity. This is the most recent year for which data is available.
  

• The State of Hawaii is the third-highest ranked state in terms of oil consumption by the electricity generating sector in the United States.  The highest is Florida, at 61 million barrels, and the second-highest is New York, at 36 million.  Total U.S. consumption of oil to generate electricity in 2004 was 209 million barrels.

• In 2005, Hawaii’s population was 1.3 million, Florida’s was 61 million, and New York’s was 36 million.

• Hawaii therefore represents 7% of the total U.S. use of oil for electricity generation, yet Hawaii has 0.004% of the total U.S. population.

• Hawaii has the highest electricity costs in the nation.  Average esidential electricity costs in 2006 were 23.38 cents per kilowatt hour, and 21.48 and 18.2 for commercial and industrial customers respectively. The prices are lower on Oahu at about 19 cents for residential and 14 cents for commercial. However, these prices are rising: in 2005, just one year earlier, these state-wide figures were 19.5 cents per kilowatt hour for residential service, and 17.86 and 14.72 for commercial and industrial. These costs track the fluctuations in the price of oil and associated transportation costs.

• The price of oil is rising.  In October of 1997, the price of oil was $17.77 a barrel, by mid-October 2000, the price of oil had risen to $29.03 a barrel.  In October 2006, the price of oil was $51.78 a barrel, after hitting a high of $69.98 earlier in the year.  Oil prices have fallen since then, but are expected to rise again and be very sensitive both to supply-side shocks and increases in demand, especially from China.

• Hawaii generates only 6 percent of its energy from renewables other than hydroelectricity (and no significant power from hydro). This is in spite of an abundance of wind, sunshine, and potential for geothermal energy sources. There is also considerable interest in and potential for biofuels, although an ideal candidate energy crop has not presented itself.