Hawaiian Electric saw 55 percent increase in rooftop solar installations in 2020
Hawaiian Electric saw a 55 percent jump in rooftop solar installations in 2020, despite concerns the COVID-19 pandemic would slow the trajectory of installations.
Last year, 5,965 new rooftop solar systems were installed throughout Oahu, Hawaii Island, and Maui County, with 78 percent including battery storage. Overall, 87,848 private customer systems connected to Hawaiian Electric’s five island grids, including 9,751 with energy storage. The generating capacity totaled 968 megawatts in 2020, increasing 7 percent over the previous year.
Currently, about 36 percent of single-family homes on Oahu, 29 percent in Maui County, and 21 percent on Hawaii Island have rooftop solar. This is the highest per capita ratio in the nation.
“This continued progress for customer self-generation is welcome news for Hawaii and all our customers,” Lani Shinsato, customer energy resources co-director at Hawaiian Electric, said. “We cannot hope to reach our clean energy goals, especially on land-scarce Oahu, without robust customer participation in generation, storage and grid services that keep the electric system reliable, secure and safe.”
Hawaiian Electric recently launched its Quick Connect program, which allows customers installing new rooftop solar systems to reduce their electricity costs faster. The program allows customers on Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii islands to install and energize new systems that meet technical requirements on certain circuits without waiting for the standard approvals, which can be received later. In addition, Hawaiian Electric will soon launch its shared solar program, which seeks to extend the financial and environmental benefits of clean energy to a wider range of residents.
