
The Nation's most fossil-fuel dependent state is researching ways to become more energy self-reliant, including revisiting geothermal energy, Maui Time reports.
According to the news source, Hawaii imports more than 90 percent of its energy, leading Hawaiian officials to research tapping into the extremely abundant geothermal resources on the islands that would not only increase independence from imports, but also boost the state's economy.
Uses for geothermal energy and its steam-byproducts on the island of Maui could include lumber drying, greenhouse farming, bronze casting and textile dying, as well as a myriad of other uses, the media outlet stated.
Ormat Technologies, a company based in Reno, Nevada, recently announced it plans to lease 8,000 acres of land from the Ulupalakua Ranch to develop a geothermal energy project.
Hawaii's geothermal advocacy group, Innovations Development Group (IDG), recently outlined a possible cash flow chart from a 50 megawatt geothermal plant hoping to sway members opposing geothermal energy at a Pukalani town meeting, the news provider stated.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, geothermal energy can easily be harnessed in places with high volcanic activity, making Hawaii a prime location for the source to be utilized.

