Hawaiian Electric Companies submitted contracts earlier this month for seven grid-scale solar-plus-storage projects to be built on three of the state’s islands which will add approximately 262 megawatts (MW) worth of new solar capacity and 1,048 MW-hours worth of energy storage.
Announced in the opening days of 2019, Hawaiian Electric Companies — the largest electric utility on the Hawaiian Islands — revealed that it had submitted contracts for seven grid-scale solar-plus-storage projects to be located across three of the Islands — Oahu (3), Maui (2), and Hawaii Island (2). Not only will the projects bring a substantial increase to the islands’ renewable energy capacity, but it will do so at the lowest prices yet seen in Hawaii.
Specifically, prices for six of the seven projects are the lowest seen in Hawaii:
| Project name | Island | Developer | Size | Storage | Cost per KWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waikoloa Solar | Hawaii | AES | 30 MW | 120 MWh | $0.08 |
| Hale Kuawehi | Hawaii | Innergex | 30 MW | 120 MWh | $0.09 |
| Kuihelani Solar | Maui | AES | 60 MW | 240 MWh | $0.08 |
| Paeahu Solar | Maui | Innergex | 15 MW | 60 MWh | $0.12 |
| Hoohana | Oahu | 174 Power Global | 52 MW | 208 MWh | $0.10 |
| Mililani I Solar | Oahu | Clearway | 39 MW | 156 MWh | $0.09 |
| Waiawa Solar | Oahu | Clearway | 36 MW | 144 MWh | $0.10 |
“We believe strongly that the renewable energy transformation should benefit everyone and these seven projects will help stabilize customer costs while reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuel and cutting greenhouse gas emissions,” said Shelee Kimura, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president of business development and strategic planning.
The seven projects will provide up to four hours of electricity through storage that can be used during peak time or at night when the sun is no longer shining. According to Hawaiian Electric, the projects will help reduce fossil fuel use on the islands nearly double what is already being accomplished. Specifically, current renewable energy development which was spurred on by the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative has led to fossil fuel reduction of 26%, which means the island is importing approximately 48 million fewer gallons of oil annually to generate electricity. The new solar-plus-storage projects are expected to increase that figure to 100 million gallons each year.
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