Hanwha Energy protects large-scale solar-plus-storage project in Hawaii

• South Korea's Hanwha Energy Corp on Tuesday claimed it has won the proposal to develop and operate the Kupehau solar-plus-storage system in a procurement workout taken care of by US utility Hawaiian Electric.

The Kupehau project will install a 60-MW solar farm and also 240 MWh of battery energy storage on the island of Oahu. The plant is to run under a 20-year power purchase arrangement (PPA).

Hanwha Energy is working on the project with its California-based subsidiary 174 Power Global. The South Korean firm stated it intends to straight manage the project's growth, building, financing as well as operation.

The Kupehau plant will occupy around 200 acres of low-productivity agricultural lands, sitting adjacent to the Kahe to Waiau 138-kV transmission line to which it will be connected, according to the project's website.

The system is slated to start commercial procedure in 2023.

The state of Hawaii is seeking to switch over to 100% renewable energy by 2045. To support the effort, Hawaiian Electric introduced a procurement round in 2019, targeting around 900 MW of renewables or renewables incorporated with storage for Oahu, Maui and also Hawaii Island as a substitute for standard plants which result from retire in the coming years.