Hawaii’s main utility Hawaiian Electric has entered into contract negotiations with the developers of 15 renewable energy projects, including solar, wind and a combined 2.1GWh of energy storage.
The projects are spread across the islands of Oahu, Hawaii Island and Maui and will combine renewable energy generation including biofuel-powered generators and energy storage to ensure firm generation.
The contacts entered into after negotiations are expected to cover around 517MW of variable generation, 654MW of firm generation and 2.1GWh of energy storage, with completion dates mandated for between 2026 and 2033.
Developers include Ameresco, Clearway – both having worked on co-located projects in Hawaii previously – Longroad Development, AES and Pacific Current and Terraform, which added a storage facility to a small wind farm there a few years ago. AES is the US-listed energy firm with a global presence, one of the founding companies of battery energy storage integrator Fluence.
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Seven will be on the island of Oahu, four on Hawaii Island and four on Maui, totalling 990MWh, 320MWh and 834MWh of energy storage capacity respectively. See a full table of the projects below.
| Project name | Island | Developer | Technology | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puuloa Energy | Oahu | Ameresco | Internal combustion engines (biofuel) | 99MW |
| Puuloa Solar | Oahu | Ameresco | Solar + BESS | 6MW + BESS |
| Base Proposal | Oahu | Kalaeloa Partners LP | Combustion turbine (biofuel) | 208MW |
| Waiau Repower | Oahu | Hawaiian Electric | Combustion turbine (biofuel) | 253MW |
| Mahi Solar and Storage | Oahu | Longroad Development | Solar + BESS | 120MW + BESS |
| Makana La | Oahu | Clearway Energy Group | Solar + BESS | 80MW + BESS |
| Par Hawaii Renewable Combined Heat & Power | Oahu | Par Hawaii Refining | Combined heat & power (biofuel) | 33.9MW |
| Kuihelani Phase 2 Solar | Maui | AES Corp. | Solar + BESS | 40MW + BESS |
| Puu Hao Solar | Maui | AES Corp. | Solar + BESS | 20MW + BESS |
| Kaheawa Wind 1 | Maui | Terraform US | Wind | 30MW |
| Pulehu Solar & Storage | Maui | Longroad Energy | Solar + BESS | 20MW + BESS |
| Keamuku Solar | Hawaii Island | AES Corp. | Solar + BESS | 86MW + BESS |
| Puako Solar | Hawaii Island | Clearway Energy Group | Solar + BESS | 60MW + BESS |
| Kaiwiki Solar | Hawaii Island | Clearway Energy Group | Solar + BESS | 55MW + BESS |
| Hamakua Firm Renewable Energy | Hawaii Island | Pacific Current | Combined Cycle (biofuel) + BESS | 60MW + BESS |
“These projects will help move Hawaii closer to its clean energy goals, while adding critical grid reliability with firm renewable energy,” said Rebecca Dayhuff Matsushima, vice-president of Resource Procurement for Hawaiian Electric. “Adding energy storage and generation from firm renewables to our portfolio will make it easier for Hawaiian Electric to retire older, less flexible fossil fuel-fired plants.”
The two combustion engine projects on Oahu and the Hamakua project on Hawaii Island are transforming facilities that currently burn imported fossil fuels into biofuel-based ones.
Once the contracts between Hawaiian Electric and the project finalised they will be submitted to the Public Utilities Commission of Hawaii for review and approval.
The projects need to contribute US$3,000 per MW of installed power in the form of community benefits.
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