This group is shaking up how communities launch renewable energy projects.

The Lahaina Energy Partnership was created in the wake of the devastating Maui fires to ensure community members have a say in their energy future. It is the latest addition to the growing pool of community-operated energy homes. Shake Energy Collaboration wants to make sure these efforts are successful.

Shake supports grassroots energy groups with everything from hosting community workshops and fundraising to selecting contractors or submitting bids to utilities.

“We’re sort of the midwife to the energy community development process,” said Ikaika Hussey, Shake’s vice president of development.

Shake began as a student project when the organization’s CEO, Ali Andrews, was a graduate student at Stanford.

While following Molokai community members organizing around energy, Andrews noticed a gap in the grassroots energy ecosystem.

“One of the things that has been missing is this kind of development ally to help bring community values, voices and knowledge into the energy development space,” Andrews said.

She wanted to be that ally, so in 2019, she and a classmate officially founded Shake Energy Collaborative. Since then, the company’s growth has largely come from word of mouth.

They continue to work closely with the people of Molokai and assist with the deployment Molokai Community Energy Resiliency Action Plan. They also supported Waianae Sustainability Cooperative on Oahu in their efforts to launch a community solar project, and are now playing a behind-the-scenes role in Lahaina Energy Partnership.

“We want the community to own these projects,” Hussey said. “Our role is simply to help bring these projects to life, not to own them.”

Sebastien Selarc, Shake’s community planning and technical development manager, said Shake’s co-development process is “more art than science,” taking into account the unique needs of each community. But overall, he feels momentum is building in the community-led energy space.

“I think people are getting really good at managing this process and then sharing that information with other community groups that have similar energy sovereignty goals,” Selarke said.

Andrews said that when it comes to the nuts and bolts of Sheik’s process, no detail is too small. They make sure the community takes the lead, especially when it comes to where projects are located.

At her seminars, Andrews and her team often show participants a Google map and look at possible solar power plant locations. Andrews said residents bring invaluable expertise based on their direct ties to the land or life experiences in the community.

“There are many examples where community members know better than any traditional energy expert, but the earth is one of the most fun things to do, where you can just sit back and share your Google screen and watch the knowledge spread,” Andrews said.

This level of community involvement can take a long time, and Hawaii has an urgent deadline for transitioning away from fossil fuels. But Andrews notes that community opposition is a major reason why energy projects fail. Shake Energy wants to help create a future where community members are in the driver’s seat.

“If we make a really quick transition where we don’t involve community members in creating projects and owning them, then we can recreate a system of third-party ownership and inequality,” Andrews said.