Hawaiian Electric pursues self-build energy storage projects on Hawaii Island, Maui
Hawaiian Electric announced plans to create two self-build Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects, one on Hawaii Island and one on Maui, and has filed applications for them with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission this week.
The Hawaii Island project would be built at Keahole Power Plant, bringing with it 12 MW. It would be designed to provide fast frequency response during sudden dips in production from renewable sources or a thermal power plant, thereby aiding grid stability and reducing the opportunity for outages.
The Maui-based project would be located near the Central Maui landfill and would be a much larger BESS altogether, at 40 MW of capacity. Its purpose will be to store energy during periods of low customer demand to be used at peak demand periods, allowing the grid to take on more renewable resources and further displace thermal generation.
Both projects are accepting public comments, which will be taken until Sept. 26, 2020, for the Hawaii Island project, and Oct. 8, 2020, for the Maui project.
