Geothermal Resource and Economic Assessment for the Production of Hydrogen Energy in Hawaii

Abstract

With no indigenous fossil fuels, over 90% of Hawaii's energy is derived from imported crude oil and finished petroleum products. This reliance on imports drives up the price for electricity in the islands and makes Hawaii particularly vulnerable to volatility in the price of petroleum and potential interruptions in delivery of fossil fuels. At the same time, Hawaii is blessed with extraordinary potential to produce renewable energy, particularly geothermal energy. While renewable energy can help alleviate Hawaii's dependence on fossil fuel imports for generating electricity, it can do little to reduce Hawaii's dependence on fossil fuel for transportation. Hydrogen provides a potential avenue to expand the reach of renewable energy, allowing it to address Hawaii's energy requirements for transportation. Given the potential surplus of geothermal resources available on Hawaii, generating hydrogen using geothermal energy may offer a means to establish Hawaii as a model for the future hydrogen energy economy.