Hawaiian Electric may know a lot about generating electricity, but its profound fumbling of the solar energy issue has the potential to produce more than sparks.

Preparing Hawaii for alternative energy was a keystone of former Gov. Linda Lingle’s successful re-election campaign, and former GOP Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona is hoping to hit the same notes by emphasizing energy self-sufficiency this year.

As the same time, the Sierra Club-Hawaii is able to organize groups to hold public demonstrations demanding that HECO get moving with adapting to a world with solar energy.

Earlier this year at legislative hearings on bills to urge more coordination between HECO and the Public Utilities Commission to speed along solar, the Sierra Club noted that what is good for solar is good for business.

"Twenty-six percent of all construction expenditures or approximately a quarter of all construction jobs created in Hawaii came out of the solar industry. Failing to allow customers to choose rooftop solar puts this growth in serious jeopardy," the environmental lobbying group said in testimony.

The proposal enjoyed the backing of Gov. Neil Abercrombie and is now state law.

But last week, Star-Advertiser energy writer Kathryn Mykleseth reported that both HECO and the solar industry are unable to coordinate the service.

A staggering 4,400 applications for rooftop solar are backed up because HECO has not processed them.

The solar companies see HECO foot-dragging, while HECO insists all solar installations must be approved before the switch is flipped.

Besides stockholders, few in Hawaii include HECO in their bedtime prayers. Our electric rates are some of the highest in the country, and akamai consumers know that across the country, the utilities are being split up.

Previously HECO knew that because all the power came from its plants, it owned the game and made the rules.

Now that you or your neighbors make electricity when the sun shines, the power plant is playing in a different game.

Dick Rosenblum, HECO’s CEO, says his company plans for 18.6 percent of its energy to come from rooftop solar in 15 years. Today just 3.6 percent comes via photovoltaic converters.

Solar firms, however, don’t see progress; they see delays and stalls.

"They are slumlords. They have not kept up with the technology in their grid," said Jim Whitcomb, founder and CEO of Haleakala Solar. "If they just spent the money and the time to try to embrace this instead of fight this, they would be a hell of a lot further along."

Hawaii’s "behind the times is good enough for us" attitude has not gone unnoticed. Even Steven Chu, the Nobel Prize-winning former secretary of energy, thinks Hawaii can do better.

In a Forbes magazine blog (http://goo.gl/4OAd4t), Chu said HECO has slowed the growth of solar energy, and it is like the Post Office trying to kill off FedEx.

"They’re in a flat to shrinking business and as solar and batteries get cheaper and cheaper, they’re going to see their customer base of the best customers" install solar, Chu said of electric companies in general.

What companies like HECO need to do is compete with the solar technology and get into the business before they are run out, Chu advised.

This is way too bright and shiny an object for the Legislature to ignore.

"The bigger challenge is getting the utilities to adapt their business models to become energy transmitters instead of generators to account for more PV, energy storage and other distributed-generation technologies," said state Rep. Chris Lee, House Energy Committee chairman.

New energy grids aren’t built of campaign promises, so before the system changes, the solar industry will have to tie its own politically potent team to lawmakers who understand the hard work needed now.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.