Hawaii and the U.S. Department of Energy signed an agreement this week that's designed to increase the state's energy independence.
The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative will provide technical assistance and programs to support projects developed through public and private partnerships.
The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper reports projects include designing systems to improve stability of electrical grids, expanding the use of locally grown crops to produce fuel, and developing regulatory and policy frameworks to promote clean energy technology use.
The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative's goal is to use renewable resources like wind, ocean and solar power to supply 70-percent or more of Hawaii's energy needs by 2030.