Solar Power World

  • Home
  • Top Solar Contractors
  • Solar Articles
    • Most Recent Posts
    • News
      • Latest News Items
      • Section 201 trade case
    • Featured
      • Latest Feature Stories
      • Ask a Vet
      • Contractors Corner
      • Innovators and Influencers
      • Installation Practices
      • Folsom Labs Solar Boot-Up
      • The Solar Explorer
  • Products
    • 2017 Top Products
    • Batteries and Storage
    • Inverters
    • Racking and Mounting
    • Software
    • Solar Panels
      • Manufacturing Locations
  • Leadership
    • 2017 Winners
    • 2016 Winners
  • Subscribe
  • Solar Resources
    • Digital Issues
    • Podcasts
    • Solar Battery Models
    • Solar Inverter Models
    • Solar Panel Manufacturing Locations
    • Solar Panel Models
    • Solar Racking Models
    • Suppliers
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • Whitepapers

Innovators and Influencers: Dora Nakafuji, planning for Hawaii’s solar future

By SPW | September 7, 2016

Dora Nakafuji, director of renewable energy planning at Hawaiian Electric Company

Dora Nakafuji, director of renewable energy planning at Hawaiian Electric Company

By Julia Hamm, President and CEO of the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA)

When historians, years from now, write about the great 21st century clean energy transition, one person they’ll mention is Dora Nakafuji, director of the renewable energy planning division at Hawaiian Electric Company. The more you talk with her, the cooler and more impressive she is.

Dora started at Hawaiian Electric in 2009—well before the state’s solar boom led to panels on one third of the houses on the island of Oahu. She quickly foresaw that the utility would need a range of data-driven tools to maintain grid reliability. She assembled a cross-disciplinary, highly collaborative team to develop new programs for forecasting renewable output on the islands, mapping renewable project locations and supporting renewable integration.

Dora and her team have laid the foundation for the partnerships and innovation needed to reach the state’s goal of 100% renewable power by 2045. The programs she developed are being studied and replicated across the country.
Dora’s came to renewables somewhat circuitously. She has Ph.D. in aeronautical-mechanical engineering—designing airplanes—which, she says, was a major influence on her collaborative work ethic. Getting flights out on time is an exercise in goal-oriented teamwork which she has adapted to her work at Hawaiian Electric.

Nakafuji knows that one of the biggest challenges for utilities is changing their internal culture. She also knows getting to Hawaii’s 100% renewables goal will mean the emergence of a new kind of utility—one built on collaboration and a deep understanding of how customers use and manage energy.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Dora is that she is always learning, always looking for new models and mentors to improve the work she and her team are doing. I can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with next.

About The Author

SPW

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

Related Articles Read More >

Webinar: Distributed vs. Virtual Central String. Application Matters! – May 22
How to meet NEC 2017 rapid shutdown requirements
Contractors Corner: Sunwatt Solar uses small-town mentality to make big gains across Rhode Island
Five companies spurring solar workforce development

Stay Informed With Great Solar Power Content

Videos Podcasts Webinars Whitepapers

Sponsored Content

  • Five ways digital solar marketing can grow your business
  • How does your location affect the optimal inverter size?
  • Three reasons why solar designs fall short
  • Central, string or module-level? Getting the right MPPT zone size
  • Building the platform of the solar future

Solar Panel Locations

Click to see the manufacturing locations of the industry’s most popular solar panel brands.

Search Now >

Popular Posts See More >

A solar industry update, as 30% tariffs take effect this week
Why local installers will benefit from national installers’ storage push
Transitioning to online selling means growing pains for solar installers
How the solar industry is responding to the increasing intensity of natural disasters
Tweets by @SolarPowerWorld
Solar Power World
  • Top Solar Contractors
  • Solar Articles
  • Top Products
  • Leadership
  • About Solar Power World
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe

Copyright © 2018 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Solar Power World

  • Home
  • Top Solar Contractors
  • Solar Articles
    • Most Recent Posts
    • News
      • Latest News Items
      • Section 201 trade case
    • Featured
      • Latest Feature Stories
      • Ask a Vet
      • Contractors Corner
      • Innovators and Influencers
      • Installation Practices
      • Folsom Labs Solar Boot-Up
      • The Solar Explorer
  • Products
    • 2017 Top Products
    • Batteries and Storage
    • Inverters
    • Racking and Mounting
    • Software
    • Solar Panels
      • Manufacturing Locations
  • Leadership
    • 2017 Winners
    • 2016 Winners
  • Subscribe
  • Solar Resources
    • Digital Issues
    • Podcasts
    • Solar Battery Models
    • Solar Inverter Models
    • Solar Panel Manufacturing Locations
    • Solar Panel Models
    • Solar Racking Models
    • Suppliers
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • Whitepapers