Hawaii's renewable tender to deliver major solar and storage push

May 14, 2020 02:58 PM ET
  • The biggest sustainable tender in Hawaii's background has actually selected its champions, getting a solar and also storage space pipe that goes beyond anything the United States state has actually ever before seen.
Hawaii's renewable tender to deliver major solar and storage push
Image: Martin Zangerl / Unsplash

Investor-owned utility Hawaiian Electric stated today the tender it released last August had actually picked 16 solar-plus-storage or standalone storage space projects (see table listed below) throughout Oahu, Maui and also Hawaii Island, a fleet of 460MW of PV and also virtually 3GWh of storage space ability in total amount.

The winning programmers were not called at this phase, with details on project dimension as well as area because of be shared "in 30 days or faster". The utility-- which will certainly currently begin discussing agreements with programmers-- kept in mind that the offers have to be recommended by Hawaii's Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

Hawaii's brand-new solar and also storage space tender victors, in numbers

Island Solar-plus-storage Standalone storage Overall capacity
Oahu island 8 projects 1 project 287MW of generation and 1.8GWh of storage
Maui island 3 projects 1 project 100MW of generation and 560MWh of storage
Hawaii island 2 projects 1 project 72MW of generation and 492MWh of storage

Resource: Hawaiian Electric

Hawaiian Electric routed the picked programmers to start outreach with neighborhood areas. Prospective buyers' "prepare for purposeful area interaction" and also project place had actually been as much of an option aspect as rate as well as modern technology factors to consider, the utility stated.

Jim Alberts, VP for service growth as well as tactical preparation at Hawaiian Electric, stated the utility understands the "raising issue" around the place of eco-friendly projects. "That's why we state we require everybody collaborating-- designers, federal government, areas and also Hawaiian Electric-- if we're mosting likely to satisfy our tidy power objectives," Alberts included.

The utility-- which itself bid for 5 projects and also was contracted for 2 standalone storage space endeavors-- stated the timeline for the total 460MW/ 3GWh fleet would certainly have plants begin striking business launch in 2022. Interruption from the COVID-19 pandemic makes hold-ups an opportunity, Hawaiian Electric stated.

The solar as well as storage space press comes as Hawaii functions to come to be totally sustainable by 2045. The United States state will certainly need to fill up the void left by the shuttering of a 180MW coal-fired plant on O'ahu and also a 27.6 MW oil-powered plant on Maui in 2022 and also 2024, specifically.

This year's tender follows a 260MW/ 1GWh solar-plus-storage pipe of 8 projects was acquired via a very first purchase stage, in 2018. Slated ahead online in 2021, the endeavors were gotten at ordinary tolls of 9.38 United States buck cents per kWh.

According to the current statistics, the Aloha State's tidy power designers are finding themselves amongst one of the most affected of the pandemic-hit United States. In an upgrade launched today, E2, ACORE as well as others distinguished the state as having actually shed 25% of its tidy power labor force throughout April 2020 alone.


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