Hawaiian Electric

We are continuing restoration work to rebuild portions of the electric system in Lahaina to ensure safe and reliable power to all West Maui customers. After losing a substation in West Maui, we were fortunate to have two mobile substations that were deployed to begin repowering the area. By late August 2023, customers in Lahainaluna, Puamana, and Launiupoko to Olowalu area were being served by two temporary mobile substations that were installed by our crews as part of the immediate restoration efforts in the area. In January 2024, undergrounding and installation of a new transformer at the Lahainaluna Substation was completed, enabling for the removal of one of the temporary mobile substations. Emily Smith, acting principal engineer of substation engineering on Maui, walks us through the process of deploying a mobile substation.

It’s National Intern Day! Today we celebrate and thank our hardworking summer 2024 interns, who are the future leaders of tomorrow! This summer, we have 19 students, who currently attend universities across the country, interning in various areas within our company, such as engineering, cyber risk management, safety, enterprise data & analytics, as well as organizational development & learning. In addition, we have six (6) student interns from local community colleges and high schools. This is also the first year we expanded our intern program to include first-year college students and neighbor island internship opportunities! To learn more about our internship program and stay up to date on future opportunities, visit: https://lnkd.in/grWPisfg

When a large brush fire ran through Waianae Valley in 2018, a vegetative firebreak of native plants played an integral role in helping firefighters slow the spread and control the flames. Yumi Kam, from the Waianae Mountains Watershed Partnership, walks us through why restoring the native plants is so important for managing invasive grasses and dry brush, working to prevent and control fires in the Waianae Valley. Video credit: Malama Learning Center 

We are installing a network of weather stations in wildfire-prone areas to provide key information about wind, temperature, and humidity to help the company better predict and respond to fire weather conditions. The project includes the installation of 52 weather stations on four islands. The weather stations, mounted on Hawaiian Electric utility poles, will provide meteorological data that will help the company to decide whether to activate and deactivate a public safety power shutoff, or PSPS. Under the PSPS program launched July 1, 2024, we may preemptively shut off power in areas that are at high risk of wildfires during periods of forecast high winds and dry conditions. “These weather stations will play a critical role as we continue to take action to address the growing risk of wildfires,” said Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president and chief operations officer. “The detailed information they provide will allow us to take preventative action more quickly to protect public safety.” We have already completed the installation of weather stations at 31 high priority locations in the first phase of the project. Another 21 more are scheduled for installation by the end of July. Our company contracted with California based WESTERN WEATHER GROUP, INC. for the weather station equipment and support services. The weather stations are solar powered and record temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction. Western Weather Group is the leading provider of PSPS weather services in the electric utility industry helping utilities across the US with addressing wildfire risk. We are also sharing weather station data with the National Weather Service (NWS), academic institutions, and other weather forecasting services to help improve the overall state’s ability accurately forecast potential fire weather conditions. The weather stations are just one component of our multi-pronged Wildfire Safety Strategy. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gqT6TzR3

This past Saturday, July 20, 2024, our Hawaii Island employees attended the annual Relay for Life event held at Wong Stadium in Hilo! Relay for Life isn’t just a fundraising walk, but an event that unites the community in supporting the American Cancer Society in celebrating cancer survivors, remembering loved ones lost, and raising funds to continue to improve advocacy, research, and patient support. This year, our booth sold popcorn and a variety of fun accessories which raised money for the American Cancer Society. Attendees also enjoyed our photobooth with light up wings from Stanward Oshiro’s Puna Lights display. Thank you to all who donated and volunteered for a good cause! Learn more about how you can join the fight against cancer: RelayforLife.org

Hawaii Island residents: Learn more and ask questions about our Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program at the following upcoming community events: Monday, July 29, 2024: Hawaii County Council Member Cindy Evans Town Hall 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Waikoloa Village Association Banquet Room, Waikoloa Village Golf Course Tuesday, August 6, 2024: Hawaii County Council Time: TBD Hawaii County Building, Council Chambers Monday, August 19, 2024: Community Resilience Fair (West Hawaii) 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Kealakehe High School cafeteria Thursday, September 5, 2024: Waimea Community Association Town Hall Meeting 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Location in Kamuela, TBD Saturday, October 12, 2024: Waimea Fall Festival 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Waimea District Park As a reminder, the PSPS program will be used as a last line of defense in high wildfire risk areas and could result in extended outages. The initial PSPS areas identified on Hawaii Island include North Hawaii, between Kohala and Waikoloa, West Hawaii, between Kalaoa and Holoualoa, and between Mauna Kea Access Road and Waikii Ranch. Before activating a PSPS, we’ll notify you and coordinate with government officials, first responders and critical infrastructure operators. Find out if you live in a PSPS area by searching your address in our PSPS map tool: https://lnkd.in/gHB-GqDE.

We have released an updated version of our Electrification of Transportation (EoT) Strategic Roadmap that includes dozens of specific actions our company plans to undertake through 2030 to support the rapidly expanding electric vehicle market.   More than 50 organizations provided input for EoT Strategic Roadmap 2.0, including advocacy groups, nonprofits, automakers and dealerships, fleet operators, labor unions, government agencies and academic institutions. The updated roadmap was filed recently with the Public Utilities Commission.   The report acknowledges the extensive work our company has done since producing one of the utility industry’s first EoT roadmap in 2018. Still, there is a long way to go to meet Hawaii’s critical climate goals and unlock the benefits of electric transportation for all our customers, the report notes. The updated roadmap will guide the company as it rises to meet these challenges.   “Much has changed since the original roadmap filing and the landscape will continue to evolve,” said Jamila Jarmon, Hawaiian Electric acting director of Electrification of Transportation. “As we work to implement our EoT actions in the coming years, new ideas and opportunities for further innovation will no doubt emerge. We are confident that this roadmap sets us on the right path and allows us to seize new opportunities to deliver value to our customers as they arise.”   Among the actions recommended in the report: - Enable charging for personal mobility by adding public chargers and improving their maintenance. - Engage disadvantaged communities and rideshare and transit partners to inform public EV charger siting. - Reinforce community resiliency efforts and pursue pilots that support the safe, cost effective and reliable integration of electric vehicles into the grid.   EoT Strategic Roadmap 2.0 was developed through a rigorous process that started and ended with customers and communities in Hawaii. Our company was assisted by Atlas Public Policy, a research firm with extensive experience in the field of transportation electrification.   The roadmap is available at: hawaiianelectric.com/EoT   Read more: https://lnkd.in/gqqCkhQm

This past Saturday, July 13, 2024, the Maui Emergency Management Agency hosted a Disaster Preparedness Expo at Queen Ka'ahumanu Center in Kahului. At this event, our employees shared information on the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program, along with other safety tips for storm season. Many other organizations were also in attendance to share emergency and safety information, including Pacific Disaster Center - PDC Global, the County of Maui, Maui Police Department, Maui County Fire Dept, the American Red Cross, the National Weather Service, FEMA, and the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency . Find more emergency preparedness tips on our website at https://lnkd.in/g4tA4BBa. For information on our Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program, visit hawaiianelectric.com/PSPS. 

It’s always important to know your path to safety in the event of an emergency, whether you are at home, work, or out and about. Learn how you can make your evacuation plan from Willamette University's shooting guard, Ryder Hsiung! View more storm safety tips and read our #emergencypreparedness handbook on our website, https://lnkd.in/g4tA4BBa.

We have begun deploying a network of high-resolution video cameras using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to provide enhanced situational awareness and early detection of ignitions in elevated fire risk areas near company infrastructure. The public will also have access to the live feeds from any of the cameras. Our crews recently installed the first camera station in Lahaina and has plans to deploy a total of 78 stations in elevated fire risk areas on the five islands served by the company, with each location having two cameras to provide a full 360-degree view. The camera feeds will be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The $14 million project is the latest step in our ongoing effort to reduce the risk of wildfires associated with company equipment. “We are continuing to take action to address the growing risks from wildfires across our service territory using a variety of technologies and methods,” said Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president and chief operations officer. “Installing publicly viewable AI-assisted video cameras in elevated fire risk areas will enable the company, fire agencies, and emergency operations centers the ability to identify potential wildfires early and respond quickly.” We have signed a five-year contract with California-based ALERTWest. ALERTWest’s software platform, which is widely used in fire-prone areas through the Western U.S., is assisted by AI to detect smoke and other early indications of fire in real-time. It was developed by ALERTWest in collaboration with UC San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia team, California utilities, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). ALERTWest also recently partnered with the University of Oregon and the University of Nevada, Reno, creating the largest publicly available, interoperable, AI wildfire detection system in the United States. The system is assisted by AI to detect smoke and other early indications of fire in real time, day and night. This allows first responders and emergency personnel to cross state boundaries in mutual aid situations and have access to the tool when needed.The AI Solution was recognized as one of TIME’s best inventions of 2023. The public will be able to access the live feeds from any of the cameras on the ALERTWest website at https://alertwest.live/. Half of the video camera stations are expected to be operational by September 2024, with the remainder to be installed in the first half of 2025. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dS3s8cBc