Ten days ago, representatives of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation met with President Barak Obama in Waikiki to promote free trade and establish our area’s economic guidelines.
This week, according to The Maui News 11/23, pg. A3, it was announced that the “Japanese-government New Energy and Industrial Tecnology Development (NEDO) will invest $37M to build a smart grid on Maui ” to demonstrate how solar, wind, and other sources can be integrated into an electrical grid”.
WOW! Given that we live on an island and have an abundance of natural, alternative power sources, this sounds like a really big deal! And it is…
“This U.S.-Japan project will build the most advanced smart grid in the world,” President Hideo Hata is reported as saying. “This project aims to be not just a role model for the Asia-Pacific region but for the entire world.
Governor Neil Abercrombie, meanwhile, stated that it will also “help Hawaii find ways to shift away from imported oil” and “give the state a head start on innovative energy technology”.
Construction is expected to start by the end of next year and is to be built throughout the Kihei area on Maui’s south-central side.
How incredible is that?