State regulators have given Hawaiian Electric the greenlight to solicit bids for new renewable energy projects.
HECO is looking to bring about 1,600 gigawatt-hours of large-scale solar and wind power onto Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island’s grids. That represents about a 40% increase in the utility’s total renewable generation.
HECO is also seeking to expand battery storage capacity and renewable firm power. It expects this latest round of projects will come online between 2031 and 2034.
Among HECO’s service territories, Hawaiʻi Island is furthest along in the statewide transition off fossil fuels; more than half of its electricity comes from renewable resources, namely rooftop solar and geothermal power.
Oʻahu, with its dense population and limited available land for utility-scale projects, is having a tougher time reducing its dependence on oil — only about a third of its energy comes from renewable resources.
