A developer has been selected to build the largest utility-scale solar project on the island of Lānaʻi.
Hawaiian Electric has selected Onyx Development Group LLC to build and maintain Mikiola Solar on Lānaʻi. Onyx Development Group LLC is the development arm of Onyx Renewable Partners L.P., a clean energy ecosystem provider headquartered in New York City.
The project is the island’s first shared solar program — also known as community based renewable energy.
The project could provide nearly 17.6 megawatts of solar energy, paired with a 73 megawatt-hour battery system.
Three megawatts of energy will be reserved for the shared solar program. Participants will be able to receive credits on their electricity bills once the facility comes online.
“We are excited to secure a partnership with Onyx to power Lāna‘i with such large-scale solar energy and provide all of our Lāna‘i customers with more opportunities to benefit from renewable energy,” Rebecca Dayhuff Matsushima, vice president of resource procurement for Hawaiian Electric, said in a statement. “This is a major step in transitioning Lāna‘i away from the price volatility of imported fossil fuels and taking action on climate change.”
Mikiola Solar is located near Hawaiian Electric’s Miki Basin facilities and sits on 73 acres of land owned by Larry Ellison’s Pūlama Lānaʻi.
The project is expected to come online in late 2024.
Onyx was selected through a competitive bid process and contract negotiations are underway. Once a 20-year contract is finalized, it must be approved by the Public Utilities Commission.
