State and federal officials yesterday announced a "clean energy" partnership that they said would put Hawai'i on a path to getting at least 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.

Gov. Linda Lingle and U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Alexander Karsner signed a non-binding agreement to establish the "Hawai'i Clean Energy Initiative."

Under the initiative, Hawai'i would be a national model in using renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, ocean, geothermal and bioenergy to supply most of its energy needs.

"We're the most oil-dependent state in America, with 90 percent of all of our energy sources imported, and we have the highest electricity rates and the highest gas prices in the nation," Lingle said at a news conference yesterday. "This is the beginning of an important solution to that problem, and that is to reduce our dependence on imported sources of energy and over the long term to be able to stabilize and hopefully to bring down the price of energy and transportation fuels."

Karsner, the federal agency's assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, said Hawai'i is "most blessed" with potential for affordable renewable resources and that the federal department is committed to providing technical and policy expertise and resources to Hawai'i "on an unprecedented level."

"It only makes sense that we focus here first on getting things right for the nation," he said.

The agreement comes as representatives from the U.S. and 15 other nations are gathering in Honolulu this week for a two-day international meeting on climate change.

Lingle said about 8 percent of Hawai'i's energy is provided by renewable sources, and that the state is already on track to get to 20 percent by 2020. But, she said, "we have moved beyond that in our thinking" with the agreement.

Lingle said four working groups will focus on ways to maximize energy efficiency, tap renewable resources, deliver clean energy to consumers and reduce transportation energy costs. These groups would discuss barriers and make recommendations to address them, she said.

The agreement, which is not binding, does not include a specific appropriation of federal money. The state will be able to tap existing federal dollars for renewable energy projects, said Ted Liu, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Efforts will focus on clean energy projects designed to move the smaller islands toward 100 percent use of renewable energy, integrating renewable energy into existing systems, and expanding the use of local crops and byproducts for producing fuel and electricity. Liu also said officials are looking at creating an infrastructure for plug-in cars.

Sierra Club Hawai'i Chapter director Jeff Mikulina said the goal of renewable energy supplying 70 percent of the state's needs is "bold but certainly achievable."

"First of all, it's great that the governor is helping to bring these resources to Hawai'i," Mikulina said. "What remains to be seen is exactly what this is. Is this a lot of money? Is this simply an agreement? ... We hope that it comes with the real resources and the real focus to actually make it happen."

Henry Curtis, executive director of the Hawai'i environmental group Life of the Land, read the memorandum of agreement and said it's too vague.

"It's like starting a car but leaving it in neutral," he said. "We've known the barriers for a long time. It's just a matter of someone putting the car in gear and driving through them."

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.