Hawaiian Electric seeks regulatory approval for 300MW solar, 2,000MWh battery storage projects

September 17, 2020
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email
Artist’s rendering of one of the projects, the 185 MW / 565 MWh Kapolei Energy Storage (KES) project from developer Plus Power. It will be interconnected on the island of Oahu and is the largest of the awarded projects. Image: Plus Power.

Hawaiian Electric has submitted eight contracts representing nearly 300MW of solar energy generation and about 2,000MWh of energy storage to be built on the islands of O’ahu and Maui.

The investor-owned utility has sent the contracts to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for review and approval. The projects form part of Hawaii’s largest renewables tender, which closed earlier this year and saw a total of 16 projects selected.

Hawaiian Electric said the six O’ahu facilities are expected to provide enough generation and storage needed to retire the state’s only coal power facility, the 180MW plant at Campbell Industrial Park owned by AES, by September 2022. Meanwhile, the completion of two green energy projects on Maui will help enable the retirement of the 38MW oil-fired Kahului plant in 2024.

The capacity of the solar-plus-storage projects ranges from 7 – 120MW, while the lowest price is the Kahana Solar facility in Maui at US0.089/kWh.

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

To see the full version of this story, including a table of projects and prices per kWh, visit PV Tech.

24 March 2026
Dallas, Texas
The Energy Storage Summit USA is the only place where you are guaranteed to meet all the most important investors, developers, IPPs, RTOs and ISOs, policymakers, utilities, energy buyers, service providers, consultancies and technology providers in one room, to ensure that your deals get done as efficiently as possible. Book your ticket today to join us in 2026!
15 April 2026
Milan Marriott Hotel, Italy
Solarplus Europe 2026 marks the evolution of Europe’s longest-running solar conference, reflecting the industry’s transition from standalone PV to fully integrated solar-plus-storage and hybrid energy systems. Taking place in Milan, the Summit will unite developers, investors, policymakers, and technology leaders to explore how Europe can deliver firm, flexible, and bankable renewable power at scale. With a sharp focus on system integration, storage deployment, hybrid project design, and market-ready business models, Solarplus Europe provides the platform for shaping the next phase of the continent’s solar and clean power build-out.
15 September 2026
San Diego, USA
You can expect to meet and network with all the key industry players again in 2025 from major US asset owners, operators, RTOs and ISOs, optimizers, software and analytics providers, technical consultancies, O&M technology providers and more.

Read Next

February 26, 2026
Energy storage developer and subsidiary of Canadian Solar, Recurrent Energy, has sold its 200MWh Fort Duncan battery energy storage system (BESS) project, located in Texas, US, to developer Hunt Energy Network.
February 26, 2026
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has closed a US$26.5 billion loan package to two wholly owned subsidiaries of utility Southern Company, in Georgia and Alabama, US.
February 26, 2026
Large-scale renewable energy power plant developers in the Philippines have been instructed to integrate energy storage into their proposed facilities.
February 26, 2026
Utility Xcel Energy will install 30GWh of US startup Form Energy’s iron-air batteries at a data centre in Pine Island, Minnesota, belonging to tech giant Google.
February 25, 2026
Experts at the ongoing Energy Storage Summit 2026 have cautioned against treating co-located storage as a “silver bullet” to prop up commercially underperforming solar assets.