Lahaina Energy Partnership

The Lahaina Energy Partnership is supporting energy planning and rebuilding efforts in Hawaii's historic town of Lahaina on Maui, with technical assistance provided by NREL.

This effort is in response to the 2023 wildfires that damaged or destroyed more than two thousand structures and claimed more than one hundred lives.

NREL will provide technical assistance to support energy planning and decision-making as part of the rebuilding effort. Technical assistance may explore options such as building local renewable energy resources, increasing residential energy efficiency, and supporting resilience capabilities at Lahaina's critical facilities.

To inform the scope of the Lahaina Energy Partnership technical assistance, NREL has partnered with Hawaii-based community engagement and sustainability-focused organizations to connect with Lahaina residents, business owners, and other stakeholders. Lāhainā Strong, Hā Sustainability and Shake Energy Collaborative will conduct on-the-ground engagement efforts to understand the community's energy priorities and vision for the future.

Icon with houses next to a palm tree with arrows pointing to another icon of people holding a clipboard, both centered around the island of Maui with Lahaina pointed out. — **Community role**: Local partners convene the Lahaina community to identify energy solutions of interest and inform a scope of technical assistance.

**National lab role**: National labs conduct analysis to assist the Lahaina community in assessing opportunities and risks for energy planning and rebuilding.

As part of the community engagement effort, NREL is preparing introductory materials about energy topics, including the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for New Home Construction in Maui fact sheet, which was initially shared at a community meeting with more than 200 attendees in May of 2024.

NREL developed a presentation on the Lahaina energy context to support informed community co-creation of a plan for Lahaina’s energy future. Local community partners will lead development of additional educational materials throughout the project.

Lahaina community members are encouraged to contact us with questions or sign up for regular updates by completing this form or emailing LahainaEnergyPartnership@gmail.com.