Renewable Energy

Hawaiian Electric is delaying the launch of its new programs for residents with rooftop solar. It involves how customers are compensated for providing energy to the grid.

Stormy weather has downed lines and cut power to a number of Hawaiian Electric customers on O’ahu over the past month. But a series of unfortunate events on Jan. 8 wiped out the utility's reserves, causing rolling blackouts and a call for conservation. It was the first power shortfall event on Oʻahu since 2015. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote checks in on the island's grid reliability.

Gov. Josh Green was hopeful about the future of hydrogen in his State of the State address last year. Hawaiʻi had bid on a piece of a $7 billion U.S. Department of Energy grant to develop a regional hydrogen hub, but the state failed to make the final cut. Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick spoke to The Conversation about what comes next.

The Kapolei Energy Storage facility on Oʻahu is officially online. With a storage capacity of 565 megawatt-hours, it's the largest storage project in the state.

Some solar industry advocates say a new rate scheme for Hawaiian Electric's rooftop solar customers could fundamentally change the local energy landscape. On Oʻahu and in Maui County, customer-sited solar is the single largest renewable source of energy available to the grid. On Hawaiʻi Island, it ties with geothermal. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote has more.

The electric utility announced Friday that it will start contract negotiations with developers. The projects could produce approximately 517 megawatts from intermittent sources like wind and solar, and about 654 megawatts of firm generation.

Dubbed Paeahu Solar, the plan proposed in 2018 was to build a 200-acre utility-scale solar array and battery storage system with a Canadian company named Innergex.

Molokaʻi doesn't have utility-scale renewable energy projects and generates only 14% of its energy consumption from rooftop solar. But that's about to change. The community has created a roadmap to get to 100% renewable energy with a series of projects designed by residents. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports from Molokaʻi.

Lettuce, kalo, sweet potato, vanilla and even māmaki grow under solar panels in Mililani that automatically rotate with the movement of the sun. Agrivoltaics, combining solar panels and agriculture, isn't a new concept. However, experts say there's a lot more that can be done locally. HPR's Mark Ladao has the story.

The U.S. Department of Energy named 67 winners for its Energizing Rural Communities Prize. One of them is Shake Energy Collaborative in Hawaiʻi. The goal of the $6.7 million in federal funding is to support rural communities in improving their energy systems and advancing clean energy projects.