Following news yesterday of the first grid-scale solar-plus-storage system on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, two more modestly-sized projects show the potential diversity of applications for energy storage in the US state.
Hawaii has been a prolific installer of both rooftop solar and latterly batteries for energy storage and one of the US state’s smaller islands looks set to get its first ever grid-scale solar-plus-storage system.
Hawaii’s KIUC, the top-ranked US utility in 2017 for energy storage deployment per customer by SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance), will pay less than US$0.11 per kWh for power from a new solar-plus-storage facility.
AES Distributed Energy (AES DE), a subsidiary of AES Corporation, and nonprofit transmission firm Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) have broken ground on a 28MW solar and 100MWh five-hour duration battery energy storage system in Kauai, Hawaii.
NRG Energy, in partnership with the Hawaiian Electric Company, Kamehameha Schools and others, has broken ground on three grid-scale PV projects on the island of O‘ahu, Hawaii.
The Hawai‘i Public Utilities Commission has approved two new programmes expanding its customers’ abilities to install rooftop PV and energy storage systems.
DEWA has opted for carports at its own offices and a ministry building, Adani has signed a PPA for a US$200 million Queensland PV project, HECO has launched an online rooftop solar application tool.
The Hawaiian Electric Companies have filed a roadmap to creating more resilient and renewable-ready island grids with the Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
