Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie and Choi Kyu-Chong, the Republic of Korea’s Director of the Electricity Market and Smart Grid Division at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE), have signed a letter of intent to pursue smart grid development in the Hawaiian Islands.

Governor Abercrombie says, “We are delighted that the Republic of Korea has seen the value of partnering with Hawaii on a mutually beneficial smart grid development project. Partnerships like this show the world just how serious Hawaii is about our commitment to building a leading clean energy economy through clean energy demonstration and implementation. We are building an energy legacy for our state that will benefit the people of Hawaii for generations.”

Korea and Hawaii believe it is mutually beneficial to collaborate on smart grid research, development, and demonstration projects in conjunction with public and private partners from Korea, Hawaii, and elsewhere in the United States.

Director Choi Kyu-Chong adds: “The Republic of Korea and the State of Hawaii both share the common goals of clean energy and energy independence. The language that we share is that of green growth, independence and prosperity. Through the development of advanced energy technologies, including smart grid, we can sustain and prosper.”

MKE and its Korea Smart Grid Institute (KSGI) have led the effort to develop and implement a nationwide smart grid by 2030, and are currently leading more than 170 South Korean companies in the development and deployment of the Jeju Island Test Bed, a 6,000 household planned smart grid community demonstration project.

Richard Lim, Hawaii’s director of the Department of Business and Economic Development and Tourism, adds: “The state currently has approximately 80 renewable energy projects in various stages of development in the queue. Building a smart grid system will help us manage the power that is generated by renewable resources, which means more projects can come to fruition. That translates into more jobs for our local economy.”

KSGI is also currently implementing a joint Korea-Illinois project to install energy-saving equipment in at least four Chicago buildings with investments of more than $35 million.

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