A part of the Tufts UEP series: The story of Moloka’i, a small island in Hawai‘i, shows that local solar projects can do much more. They can become powerful tools for community building, energy justice, and self-determination.
By KC Coryatt
Continuing our blog series disseminating case studies from the Tufts UEP graduate team on community-owned energy projects, we look to Hawai’i. When we discuss solar energy, it’s easy to focus on cost savings or environmental benefits. But the story of Moloka’i, a small island in Hawai‘i, shows that local solar projects can do much more. They can become powerful tools for community building, energy justice, and self-determination.
Moloka’i is one of Hawai‘i’s most rural islands, home to a predominantly Native Hawaiian population of 7,400 people. With the highest energy rates in the country at over 50 cents per kilowatt hour, residents were paying steep prices while having little control over their energy system. In response, community leaders came together to create the Moloka’i Community Energy Resilience Action Plan, and later, the Ho’ahu Energy Cooperative.
What makes this cooperative special is how deeply rooted it is in community values. Residents didn’t want top-down renewable energy projects from Hawaiian Electric that didn’t reflect their needs. The residents have endured years of exploitation by the U.S government and corporate interests. Instead of continuing this, Ho’ahu was formed in 2020 as a community-led organization focused on energy democracy. That means local people, made up of many volunteers, had a direct say in how, where, and why renewable energy projects would be built.
Between 2020 and 2022, Ho’ahu hosted more than 40 public workshops to shape the vision of what renewable projects would look like. These workshops covered everything from where to put the solar panels to how to pay for them and who should benefit. This deep level of engagement helped the community feel ownership and pride in the work. It wasn’t just about electricity, but building power in more ways than one.
Two solar projects were approved in early 2024 and are expected to break ground this year. One is a small system at a local recreation center that could double as a resilience hub and provide power during extreme weather events. The other is a larger 2.2 MW array near the island’s power plant. Instead of rooftop panels, Moloka’i residents will subscribe to the project and save about 20% on their energy bills. Additionally, the co-op has focused heavily on workforce development, training 30 residents (free of charge) in solar installation and microgrid maintenance over the last two years.
So, what does this have to do with Salem?
If the City of Salem ever considers a local solar project, Moloka’i offers a powerful blueprint. Salem could prioritize deep community engagement well before the first panel goes up–through workshops, surveys, and forums where residents shape the design. A democratic model, like Ho’ahu’s, ensures that clean energy benefits go directly to local people, not just corporations or outside investors.
While we may not have the same laws or utility partnerships that helped Molokai’i’s initiative develop quickly just yet, the core lesson remains: when energy systems are built with the community, they do more than light homes. They create resilience, opportunity, and ownership. Values that Salem needs in the face of a changing climate and uplifting environmental justice. You can read more about this case study here (p. 44).
KC Coryatt is SAFE’s Summer Intern.