This section provides summaries of current and past research projects. Use the links below to jump to your area of interest.
Fuel Assessments
Resources for Renewable Natural Gas Production in Hawai‘i, May 2021
Observational Field Assessment of Invasiveness of Pongamia (Millettia pinnata), A Candidate Biofuel Crop in Hawai‘i, UH Botany Dept., June 2018
Hawai‘i Military Biofuels Crop Assessment, Rivertop Solutions & Pacific Biodiesel, February 2015
Biofuels Production, Harvesting, and Handling Assessment, GreenEra, April 2014
Biofuels Crop Assessment, GreenEra, December 2013
Evaluation of Hydrogen Production and Utilization in Fuel Cell Vehicles, Select Engineering Services, October 2013
Biomass-Derived Energy Products and Co-Products Market and Off-Take Study, Stillwater Associates LLC, June 2013
Liquefied Natural Gas for Hawai‘i: Policy, Economic, and Technical Questions, FACTS, Inc., June 2013
Hawai‘i Geothermal Assessment and Roadmap, PICHTR, January 2013
State Agency Land Leases, UH William S. Richardson School of Law, October 2012
Analysis of Land Suitable for Algae Production in Hawai‘i, August 2011
Biomass and Biofuels
Resources for Renewable Natural Gas Production in Hawai‘i, May 2021
Fast Pyrolysis of Tropical Biomass Species and Influence of Water Pretreatment on Product Distributions, October 2016
Water, Energy, and Soil Sustainability (WESS) Final Report, UH Faculty, July 2013
Analysis of Integrated Tropical Bio-Refineries, December 2012
Observational Field Assessment of Invasiveness for Candidate Biofuels in Hawai‘i, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit and UH Maui Agricultural Research Center, September 2012
RSB Certification Readiness Study: Hawai‘i Biofuel Projects, Hawai‘i Biofuel Foundation & NCSI Americas, August 2012
Algal Production Studies, Hawai‘i BioEnergy, July 2012
Hawai‘i Bioenergy Master Plan, December 2009
Physicochemical Analysis of Selected Biomass Materials in Hawai‘i, August 2005
Analysis of Hawai‘i Biomass Energy Resources for Distributed Energy Applications, December 2002
Production of Biomass for Electricity Generation on the Island of O‘ahu, HNEI & Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association, May 1995
Solar Fuels
Grid System Analysis
O‘ahu Grid Stability Study, Phase 4: Battery Energy Storage Analysis, GE Energy Consulting, December 2017
O‘ahu Distributed PV Grid Stability Study, Part 3: Grid Strength, GE Energy Consulting, July 2016
O‘ahu Distributed PV Grid Stability Study, Part 2: System Frequency Response to Load Rejection Events, GE Energy Consulting, May 2016
Evaluation of Alternative Ownership Options for Electric Utility Assets on the Islands of O‘ahu and Hawai‘i, Filsinger Energy Partners, April 2016
O‘ahu Distributed PV Grid Stability Study, Part 1: System Frequency Response to Generator Contingency Events, GE Energy Consulting, March 2016
Interconnection of Grid Systems for Maui and O‘ahu Counties: Different Mixes of Renewable Generation and Several Possible Future Scenarios, GE Energy Consulting, February 2014
Electricity Storage for Hawai‘i: Technologies and Issues to Facilitate High Penetration of Renewables, Renewable Energy Ventures, September 2013
Analysis of Smart Grid Technologies – Tools to Enable Renewable Energy in Hawai‘i, Black & Veatch, October 2013
Hawai‘i Solar Integration Study for Maui, GE Energy Consulting, March 2013
Ancillary Services Definitions and Capability Study, GE Energy Consulting, December 2012
Numerically Efficient Parallel Algorithms, New Mexico Tech, October 2012
Model Abstraction Techniques for Large-Scale Power Systems, New Mexico Tech, October 2012
Hawai‘i Solar Integration Study for O‘ahu, GE Energy Consulting, April 2012
O‘ahu Grid Study: Validation of Grid Models, GE Global Research & HNEI, September 2009
Integrated Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Systems, September 2009
Grid Technology: Development and Demonstration
Maui Smart Grid Demonstration Project, December 2014
Development & Demonstration of Smart Grid Inverters for High-Penetration PV Applications, October 2014
Development of a Solar Forecasting System and Characterization of Irradiance Variability in Hawai‘i, September 2014
Development of Real-Time Closed-Loop Control Algorithms for Grid-Scale Battery Energy Storage Systems, August 2014
Fuel Cells
No reports available
Wave Energy
Wave Energy Integration into Small Islanded Electrical Grids, University of Alaska Fairbanks, March 2021
Wave Energy Resource Characterization at the U.S. Navy Wave Energy Test Site and Other Locations in Hawaiʻi, UH Dept. of Ocean Resources & Engineering, November 2014
Wave Energy Grid Interconnection at the Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) 30m Project Site, Northwest Energy Innovations, June 2014
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Heat Exchanger Development (2022-2023), Makai Ocean Engineering, June 2023
OTEC Heat Exchanger Development: 2021-2022, Makai Ocean Engineering, August 2022
OTEC Heat Exchanger Development: 2020-2021, Makai Ocean Engineering, August 2021
OTEC Heat Exchanger Development: 2018-2020, Makai Engineering, May 2020
OTEC Heat Exchanger Development: 2016-2018, Makai Engineering, July 2018
OTEC Heat Exchanger Test and Evaluation, September 2016
OTEC Heat Exchanger Program: 2016 Ultrasonic Scanning for Corrosion Monitoring Report, Makai Ocean Engineering, August 2016
OTEC Heat Exchanger Program: 2015 Ultrasonic Scanning for Corrosion Monitoring Report, Makai Ocean Engineering, February 2015
OTEC Heat Exchanger Development: 2013-2014, Makai Ocean Engineering, December 2014
Report to the Hawai‘i Public Utilities Commission on Hawai‘i’s Renewable Portfolio Standards, November 2023
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Building Operation – Guidance Document, City and County of Honolulu Climate Change Commission, July 2022
International Best Practices for Implementing and Designing Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Policies, NREL & HNEI, April 2019
Hawai‘i Renewable Portfolio Standards Study, GE Energy Consulting, June 2015
Applicability of Hawai‘i Renewable Energy Grid Project Enabling Technologies to Other Regions of United States, General Electric International, March 2014
Statewide and Electricity-Sector Models for Economic Assessments of Hawai‘i Clean Energy Policies, August 2012
Hawai‘i Bioenergy Master Plan, December 2009
World Bank Developing Renewable Energy Storage Systems for the Pacific Island Countries (WB PICs) – Task 1: Policy and Technical Recommendations and Task 2: Regional Strategy on Auction Arrangements, Delphos & HNEI, November 2022
WB PICs – Task 3: Design PICs’ BESS Development Roadmaps, Delphos & HNEI, November 2022
WB PICs – Annex 1: Technical Assessment – Technical Recommendations for BESS PPP Procurement, Delphos & HNEI, November 2022
