Berkeley Law Students, Faculty Learn from Molokai's Energy Co-Op

UC Berkeley's Environmental Law Clinic explores Molokai's community-driven renewable energy initiatives.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 6:39am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A highly structured abstract painting in soft, earthy tones of green, brown, and blue, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise botanical spirals, conceptually representing the interconnected systems of a community-owned renewable energy grid.A community-driven renewable energy cooperative harnesses the power of the sun to bring affordable, sustainable electricity to an island community.Berkeley Today

A group of students and professors from the University of California, Berkeley visited Molokai to learn about the island's solar energy projects led by the Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative. The clinic is exploring ways to help communities on the mainland access affordable and reliable clean energy, and saw Molokai's community-driven approach as a valuable case study.

Why it matters

As Hawaii aims for 100% renewable energy by 2045, the Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative's model of community-owned, affordable, and sustainable power generation could provide insights for other rural and underserved areas seeking to transition away from fossil fuels. The Berkeley team hopes to apply lessons from Molokai to help drive clean energy solutions in their own communities.

The details

The UC Berkeley Environmental Law Clinic is working on projects to help make residential solar systems more accessible and affordable. After learning about Hoʻāhu's work, the clinic saw Molokai as a prime location to study how a community-driven renewable energy co-op can benefit an island with high energy costs. The Berkeley team met with Hoʻāhu leaders to understand the cooperative's vision, the challenges they've faced, and the positive impacts their solar projects have had on local families.

  • The Berkeley team visited Molokai last week.
  • Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai's mission is to produce community-owned, affordable, renewable energy.

The players

Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai

A community-owned renewable energy cooperative on the island of Molokai, with a mission to provide affordable, sustainable, and culturally conscious power for its members and the broader community.

Claudia Polsky

A law professor and director of the Environmental Law Clinic at UC Berkeley, who led the team's visit to Molokai.

Dena Kleemeier

A master's degree student in public policy at UC Berkeley, who was part of the team exploring Molokai's renewable energy initiatives.

Liliana Napoleon

The Workforce Developer for Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai.

Lori Buchanan

The Board President of Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Molokai was a very logical place to come to look at the work of the energy co-op here.”

— Claudia Polsky, Law professor and director of the Environmental Law Clinic at UC Berkeley

“As part of this project we're working on, we're looking at solar energy affordability, and because Hawaii has a lot of sun and is a great candidate for solar energy, we were specifically looking at the island of Kauai.”

— Dena Kleemeier, Master's degree student in public policy at UC Berkeley

“It was exciting to hear about off-the-grid local families that were able to transition from predominantly using generators to using a solar system.”

— Lucy Peterkin, Law student at UC Berkeley

“Because things take time, things take a lot of money.”

— Connor Tamor, Law student at UC Berkeley

“One of the things that stood out to me about Molokai was the community's willingness to work together despite differences.”

— Mac Dickerson, Law student at UC Berkeley

What’s next

The UC Berkeley team plans to maintain their relationship with Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative and explore ways the Environmental Law Clinic can support the cooperative's work and apply lessons learned on Molokai to help drive affordable clean energy solutions in other communities.

The takeaway

Molokai's Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative demonstrates how a community-driven, cooperative approach to renewable energy can empower rural and underserved areas to achieve energy independence and sustainability. The Berkeley team hopes to translate this model to help other communities across the mainland access affordable, reliable, and environmentally conscious power.