The price is now about half that for them to produce and store renewables…. Much of it from Libya, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. It costs them 27c per kWh to produce energy with oil. “They were making 10% on top of the price of oil (which HI uses predominantly for energy). “HECO makes more money on renewables - by legislative design,” Rogers said. ![]() And…all of a sudden, they were happy to be at the table. The trick for the renewable standard was to change the business model of the public utility, Hawaiian Electric (HECO), Rogers said, so that they could make more money in renewables. Rogers’ Blue Planet Foundation took 7 years of lobbying and educating to get the state to adopt the first 100% clean energy RPS in the country, a model that many other states soon followed, now encompassing more than 50% of the population of the United States. So Rogers set out to work in his backyard, the state of Hawaii, which, still to this day, exports more than $5 billion a year for fossil fuels to power a state that is blessed with ample wind, sun, and geothermal reserves. A saying he’s fond of is that you can’t tell someone else to clean up their room if you haven’t cleaned yours. He decided, just like that, to solve climate change. Rogers became a clean tech champion after realizing that we (and our carbon pollution) were the cause of this environmental disaster. It was his waking moment, much like the infamous reading of The Death of Birth was Ray Anderson’s “spear to the chest” moment. And at one point, the newspaper in Rogers’ then hometown of Honolulu had a piece that said that we would more than likely, in our lifetime, see the end of coral reefs. ![]() Rogers made hay in the gaming world, helping bring Tetris to the world, and then turned his attention to exploring what else was happening in the world. Blue Planet Foundation does ONLY US domestic work.Recently, I had the great pleasure to sit down with one of my longtime heroes, Henk Rogers, a true climate champion, to talk about solar, storage, microgrids…all the good things. On the global side of the initiative is the Blue Planet Alliance. The Blue Planet Foundation, based in Hawaii actively works to help Hawaii and other US states achieve a 100% clean energy scenario. Rogers said Palau is optimistic about its shift to renewable energy. Global Ambassadors will participate in periodic meetings and updates with Blue Planet Alliance leaders. The Global Ambassador highlights the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 7, SDG 13, SDG 14, and SDG 17. “Through the Global Ambassador Program, we are building a network of youth advocates dedicated to engaging in global activism to make their communities and the world a better place, specifically those willing to join us in our mission to help every island nation and country across the globe achieve a mandate of 100% renewable energy by 2045,” the release said. In a press statement, the Alliance said it created Blue Planet Global Ambassador Program (BPGA) starting in Palau to honor and empower young people from the ages of 16 to 30. He said Palau has an abundance of sources of renewable energy. Henk Rogers, Founder and Chairman of Blue Alliance in an interview, said the Alliance is talking to lawmakers about how Palau can start with legislatively approaching clean energy by providing sample legislation that Hawaii passed. “This administration has been actively seeking strong partners that can take our energy grid to 100% renewable and with this vision, we look forward to finalizing renewable energy plans with prospective partners by the end of the year,” Whipps stated in the SORA. asked for Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK)’s support with transitioning to 100% renewables. In his State of the Republic Address, President Surangel Whipps Jr. Palau committed to achieving 100% renewable energy by the year 2032 at the 7 th Our Ocean Conference held in Palau this past April. Henk Rogers will Sam Scott and friend at launch of Global Ambassadors at Elilai Restaurant The Blue Planet Alliance is keen to help the country adopt a 100 hundred percent renewable energy law.
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