Renewable Energy

Some solar industry advocates say a new rate scheme for Hawaiian Electric's rooftop solar customers could fundamentally change the local energy landscape. On Oʻahu and in Maui County, customer-sited solar is the single largest renewable source of energy available to the grid. On Hawaiʻi Island, it ties with geothermal. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote has more.

The electric utility announced Friday that it will start contract negotiations with developers. The projects could produce approximately 517 megawatts from intermittent sources like wind and solar, and about 654 megawatts of firm generation.

Dubbed Paeahu Solar, the plan proposed in 2018 was to build a 200-acre utility-scale solar array and battery storage system with a Canadian company named Innergex.

Molokaʻi doesn't have utility-scale renewable energy projects and generates only 14% of its energy consumption from rooftop solar. But that's about to change. The community has created a roadmap to get to 100% renewable energy with a series of projects designed by residents. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports from Molokaʻi.

Lettuce, kalo, sweet potato, vanilla and even māmaki grow under solar panels in Mililani that automatically rotate with the movement of the sun. Agrivoltaics, combining solar panels and agriculture, isn't a new concept. However, experts say there's a lot more that can be done locally. HPR's Mark Ladao has the story.

The U.S. Department of Energy named 67 winners for its Energizing Rural Communities Prize. One of them is Shake Energy Collaborative in Hawaiʻi. The goal of the $6.7 million in federal funding is to support rural communities in improving their energy systems and advancing clean energy projects.

Hawaiian Electric plans to replace six oil-fueled generators in Pearl City outside Honolulu with smaller generation units powered by biodiesel and possibly hydrogen. The state Public Utilities Commission must approve the plan.

The AES Corporation has started operating its Waikoloa Solar + Storage Project, capable of generating up to 30 megawatts and storing 120 megawatt-hours. The Conversation spoke with Sandra Larsen and Bernerd Da Santos from AES about Hawaiʻi's green energy plans.

An energy storage farm could replace Hawaiʻi's last coal-fired power plant that closed in 2022 after 30 years. The AES Corporation coal plant produced up to one-fifth of the electricity on Oʻahu.

Hawaiʻi officials said the state has a good shot at securing federal funding to jump-start new hydrogen infrastructure. Mark Glick, head of the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office, said the plan is to use renewable energy to produce hydrogen. The Conversation's Catherine Cruz has more.