Home solar-storage systems to provide capacity, grid services in Hawaii

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Large-scale solar project on Oahu, Hawaii. For the contract with Swell Energy, utility Hawaiian Electric has gone down a different, more distributed route to meeting its energy needs. Image: Hawaiian Electric Companies.

US utility Hawaiian Electric will turn to thousands of home solar-plus-storage systems for capacity and grid services under a new contract with a virtual power plant provider.

California-based Swell Energy has been contracted by the utility to execute the project, which will see more than 25MW of distributed solar generation paired with around 80MW of domestic battery storage systems to create a “comprehensive” virtual power plant network for three of Hawaii’s islands.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The contract, valued at around US$25 million, has been rubber stamped by state regulator the Hawaiian Public Utilities Commission.

Systems installed by Swell will provide capacity to local networks when required while also providing grid services on the islands of Oahu, Maui and Hawaii.

For more on this story, visit our sister publication Energy-Storage.news.

Read Next

July 17, 2026
US solar developer Sol Systems has reached financial close on its 123MWac Peoria Solar Portfolio in Illinois.
July 17, 2026
US solar PV mounting systems manufacturer Unirac has acquired the solar racking business of Terrasmart from its parent company Gibraltar Industries, expanding its product portfolio into the commercial and industrial (C&I) and distributed generation (DG) segments.
July 17, 2026
Array Technologies has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire wire management, cable protection and balance of system specialist Affordable Wire Management.
July 16, 2026
US utilities NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy have formally submitted applications to state and federal governments to merge their companies, creating the largest regulated power utility in the world.
Premium
July 16, 2026
Jim Wood, SEG Solar's CEO, explains the company's US manufacturing roadmap and why it chose heterojunction technology for its new facilities.
July 16, 2026
In the second of a two-part post, Moustafa Ramadan, head of PV Tech Research, explores the increasingly complex risks associated with solar cell procurement in the US.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
April 20, 2027
Istanbul, Türkiye