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

January 19, 2021
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.

16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

December 4, 2025
Nextpower, formerly Nextracker, will double its steel solar tracker manufacturing capacity in Tennessee and has established a new “regional hub” in the Southeast US.
December 3, 2025
The Asian Development Bank has approved a US$650 million loan to accelerate rooftop solar PV deployment in India.
December 3, 2025
Terra-Gen has closed financing for its 205MW Lockhart III & IV solar PV project in San Bernadino County, California.
December 3, 2025
Buyers should prepare for increases in the price of vital solar module components, such as polysilicon, wafers and cells, but “remain cautious” of accepting new contractual terms from Chinese suppliers until formal market policies are agreed.
December 1, 2025
Multinational solar manufacturer Canadian Solar will assume direct control of its US solar PV and energy storage manufacturing operations, in a strategic move which may reduce its supply chain risks.
Premium
November 27, 2025
Prateek Tare tells PV Tech Premium how Distributed Energy Infrastructure transformed a Superfund site into the Acton PV-plus-storage project.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
December 4, 2025
2pm GMT / 3pm CET
Upcoming Webinars
December 17, 2025
2pm GMT / 3pm CET
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy