Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, July 16, 2015
Hawaiian Electric proposes community solar pilot project
By News Release @ 10:52 AM :: 3981 Views :: Energy

Hawaiian Electric proposes community solar pilot project

News Release from HECO

HONOLULU, July 15, 2015 – Hawaiian Electric Company has proposed a community solar pilot program in a filing with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission. If the PUC approves the pilot, about 50 Oahu utility customers will have the opportunity to enjoy many benefits of solar without putting solar panels on their roofs. Participating customers will be able to significantly reduce their monthly electric bills with credit for electricity generated by a community solar project.

“We believe customers should have options. Customers who don’t have access to rooftop solar or just don’t want to install panels on their roofs will be able enjoy many of the same benefits as those with rooftop solar,” said Shelee Kimura, Hawaiian Electric vice president for corporate planning and business development.

“Community solar will be flexible, low-risk and hassle free. Participants won’t have to worry about the integrity of their roofs, ongoing maintenance or removal at the end of the panels’ useful life. They will be able to leave the program whenever they like. And if they move, the community solar credit goes with them as long as they have a Hawaiian Electric account. In addition, participants can feel good about helping to provide their friends and neighbors with low-cost, clean energy.”

A typical residential customer who now uses an average of 500 kWh of electricity a month and who purchases the largest available community solar pilot share will pay an upfront cost of $5,711 plus a $200 enrollment fee. Each month, this customer will receive credit for a share of the electricity output of the community solar facility and pay a small maintenance fee, in total reducing the customer’s electric bill by about 45 percent, at current rates.

The pilot will continue up to 17 years, but participants may leave the program at any time. Solar electric output varies from month-to-month so, to reduce risk for pilot participants, Hawaiian Electric will guarantee 80 percent of the expected annual bill reduction.

The amount of the solar credit, subject to PUC approval, will be based on the current fair market rate for utility-scale solar power. This ensures that participants are credited fairly for the solar power generated and non-participants do not pay a premium for the low-cost solar power produced for the grid.

"Hawaiian Electric's proposed community solar project is another example of the new programs and business models that utilities across the country are creating to meet their customers' demand for clean energy," said Julia Hamm, president and CEO of the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). "The Hawaii market is already recognized as a test ground for innovation and cross-industry collaboration in residential solar, and this project will hopefully provide still more options for community solar that other utilities and communities can follow."

To gain experience with community solar as quickly as possible, Hawaiian Electric proposes to use the combined 260 kilowatts of existing solar capacity at Waiau and Campbell Industrial Park power plants for the pilot. This community solar pilot project will not affect the ability of customers to obtain approval to interconnect rooftop solar systems.

Hawaiian Electric will not profit from community solar. As these assets are used for community solar, Hawaiian Electric will remove them from calculation of the electric rates customers pay, thus reducing revenues. Further, Hawaiian Electric will subsidize many costs of the pilot to learn about implementing expanded options for its customers.

The pilot project will provide insight into customers’ experience and the administration of the programs that can help Hawaiian Electric design and facilitate expanded programs under the Community-Based Renewable Energy Tariff to be filed on Oct. 1, 2015. To further inform the design of this tariff, Hawaiian Electric has begun meetings with representatives of the renewable energy industry, environmental advocates, and State Energy Office.

More information is available online at hawaiianelectric.com/communitysolar. If the PUC approves the pilot, Hawaiian Electric will announce how customers who wish to participate in the pilot can apply.

“Large-scale community solar would offer value to all customers through its operational efficiency and our ability to monitor and dispatch solar generation for safe and reliable service,” Kimura said. “Community solar will be an important part of our transformation to expand options for customers, achieve 65 percent renewables by 2030 and lower costs for all customers through equitable rate design and low-cost renewable resources.”

The Hawaiian Electric Companies are upgrading their electric grids to accept three times today’s amount of distributed energy resources over coming years, including rooftop and community-based solar projects. 

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT