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 28, 2026
US solar PV manufacturer T1 Energy has bought a set of patents for tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell and module technology which it said will “differentiate” its position in the US market.
July 27, 2026
NextEra Energy recorded a 9.5% increase in its net earnings in Q2 2026, as the company advanced its plan to merge with Dominion Energy.
July 24, 2026
Solar manufacturing giant Canadian Solar has opened the first phase of a 6GW heterojunction technology (HJT) solar cell facility in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Premium
July 24, 2026
PV Tech Premium spoke with Mike Carr, executive director of the SEMA Coalition, about the hollowing out of domestic demand for US solar manufacturing under the Trump administration, the way that US companies are piecing together supply chains and the reasons to still hope for the sector’s future.  
July 24, 2026
Panamint Capital has broken ground on the 1.2GWdc solar PV project at its Twin Oaks power station in Robertson County, Texas.
July 24, 2026
Taiwanese solar PV manufacturers Sino-American Silicon Products and United Renewable Energy Co. have formed a joint venture to establish a module assembly plant 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