2012 ASIA PACIFIC CLEAN ENERGY SUMMIT AND EXPO HIGHLIGHTS SUCCESS OF HAWAII’S CLEAN ENERGY PROGRAMS
For Immediate Release: August 24, 2012
HONOLULU — Showcasing the State of Hawaii’s abilities as a model for innovative clean energy test beds, the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s (DBEDT) State Energy Office successfully wrapped up its 2012 Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo (APCESE) last week in Waikiki.
Approximately 780 attendees representing 19 countries, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, China and Australia, packed the Hawaii Convention Center for the three-day conference, which included informative panel discussions, an interactive expo and networking opportunities.
“We strived to focus the Summit on providing Hawaii-based clean energy projects with business and economic development opportunities by linking them with global partners and investors,” said Richard Lim, Director of DBEDT.
“This year’s Summit was tremendously successful in bringing together all the stakeholders in clean energy, not only in the State of Hawaiʻi, but also internationally,” said George Kailiwai III, Director, Resources and Assessments (J8), United States Pacific Command. “I particularly found the Defense Energy Technology Challenge presentations useful in identifying new, refreshing, innovative and promising solutions.”
“We accomplished our mission to showcase Hawaii as the ideal location for clean energy test bed projects by sharing our successes and challenges with others,” said Mark Glick, Energy Administrator of DBEDT, co-organizer of the event. “These projects will help Hawaii achieve our 70 percent clean energy goal by the year 2030.”
On August 13, APCESE kicked off with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the State of Hawaii and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) signifying the start of a clean energy investment and deployment program in Hawaii. Interested Hawaii clean energy companies can begin the matchmaking process with Chinese investors and developers by filling out the Hawaii State Energy Office’s online form at energy.hawaii.gov/developer-investor.
APCESE also highlighted the State’s partnership with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan on a $37 million smart grid demonstration project on Maui that will position Hawaii as an international clean energy leader. The project is scheduled to begin the installation of an EV (electric vehicle) charging control system later this year and become operational in Fall 2013.
The 5th Annual Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo is tentatively scheduled for September 9-11, 2013, at the Hawaii Convention Center.
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For more information, contact:
Mark Glick
State Program Administrator
DBEDT’s State Energy Office
Phone: (808) 587-3812
Noreen Kam
Energy Analyst/Communications
DBEDT’s State Energy Office
Phone: (808) 587- 9006