Keiki Essay Topic: Energy Super Heroes

http://pacthawaii.org/pactkidsday/keiki_day_contest.html

In Hawaii, we are blessed with many alternative energy sources including wind, solar, geothermal, ocean thermal and wave energy. And yet, today we import more of our energy than any other state in the U.S.

Although we may not be energy-independent yet, there are signs that we are getting there: Oahu is slated to become one of the first states to use electric cars, Hannemann and others have worked to make rail a reality, wind farms have been built on Kauai and Maui, and there is talk that the state is planning to utilize OTEC to cool buildings in downtown Honolulu.

Who are the individuals behind some of these changes? What are the challenges they have faced to make their dream a reality? Finally, how will their work help to make Hawaii a better place?