From July 2025 through June 2026, Hawaii remained heavily dependent on fossil electricity: oil supplied about 61% of electricity consumption, or more than half. Low-carbon sources supplied almost a third, led by solar at about 23%. Behind-the-meter solar contributed roughly 15%, while utility-scale solar provided about 8%. Other clean sources included wind at nearly 5%, geothermal at about 2%, and biofuels at about 1%. Net imports accounted for roughly 4%; their carbon classification is not specified in the supplied data.

Is Electricity Growing in Hawaii?

Electricity consumption in Hawaii is growing, but only slightly. The latest 2026 figure reached about 8,114 kWh per person, edging above the 2025 record of 8,086 kWh per person—a reported increase of about 27 kWh per person, or roughly 0.3%. Low-carbon electricity generation, however, remained at its previous record of 2,575 kWh per person. The new consumption record is encouraging, but the lack of growth in clean generation is concerning: Hawaii needs substantially more low-carbon electricity to support electrification and future demand, including from AI.

Suggestions

Hawaii should build on its substantial solar contribution by expanding both rooftop and utility-scale solar. The sunny US state of Nevada, where solar supplies 35% of electricity, offers a useful benchmark. Hawaii can also learn from island regions such as Ireland, where wind provides 35% of electricity, and the United Kingdom, where it provides 30%. Nuclear should also be considered as part of a broader clean-electricity strategy: France generates about two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear, while the US state of South Carolina generates more than half. Together, these regions demonstrate how solar, wind, and nuclear can deliver much larger low-carbon electricity shares and reduce dependence on oil, cutting climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

History

The supplied history for 2024–2026 shows little sustained growth in Hawaii’s non-solar low-carbon electricity generation. In 2024, geothermal generation increased by 0.1 TWh, offsetting a 0.1 TWh decline in biofuels, while wind and hydro were unchanged. In 2025, wind and hydro each declined by 0.1 TWh, with no change in geothermal or biofuels. In 2026, all four sources recorded no year-on-year change at the reported precision. This pattern of stagnation and some declines underscores the need for renewed clean-electricity growth. Solar is not included in this historical series, so these figures do not establish the trend for low-carbon generation as a whole.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.