STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 138-20
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2020
RE: H.B. No. 1855
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirtieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2020
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1855 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY,"
begs leave to report as follows:
Your Committee finds that solar power is a key to
achieving Hawaii's goal of generating 100 percent of its electricity from
renewable energy sources by 2045. Hawaii
can maximize the benefits of renewable energy resources by finding ways to
efficiently utilize excess energy generation.
One
solution is for the electric utilities to sell excess electricity to consumers
for purposes such as hydrogen production or protected agriculture, at a rate
that encourages efficient utilization of available renewable energy
resources. The sale of excess
electricity from the grid to consumers is known as "smart imports".
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Specifying that the State's electric utilities study include:
(A) Mechanisms to achieve smart imports from utility scale projects to avoid curtailing or otherwise not using available excess energy; and
(B) Recommendations about how energy intensive commercial and industrial customers can utilize smart imports to reduce costs and benefit the grid;
(2) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and
(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1855, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1855, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,
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____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair |
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