Hawaiian Electric seeks feedback on rooftop solar, customer energy resources plan

Hawaiian Electric is looking for feedback on its strategy to increase the use of rooftop solar and other forms of customer energy resources.

Customer energy resources are technologies and devices on the customer-side of the meter that can alter energy use. The strategy is laid out in Hawaiian Electric’s “Customer Energy Resources for Hawaii; A Customer-First CER Strategy for a 100% Clean Energy Future,” which is filed with the state’s Public Utilities Commission.

“Hawaiian Electric needs to maximize customer-sited resources like rooftop solar and batteries, electric vehicles, and emerging electricity management technologies to decarbonize our energy systems by 2045,” Shelee Kimura, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president for customer service and public affairs, said. “We simply do not have enough open land to sustainably balance renewable energy with other vital needs such as housing and local food supply. It’s critical that all customers participate in this energy transformation in a fair and equitable way, even if they’re unable to install rooftop solar.”

Release of the CER strategy follows a year of consultation and cooperation with the rooftop solar industry, which has resulted in the removal of barriers to customers quickly getting rooftop solar and energy storage benefits. In 2020 nearly 6,000 new rooftop solar systems were installed across Hawaiian Electric’s service territory, a 55 percent increase over the previous year.

One initiative is called Quick Connect, where customers installing most new systems do not need standard approvals before activating their systems and saving money. The approval process typically takes weeks but can now begin after the system is built and turned on. The company states that the expansion of CERs must benefit all customers, including those with moderate or fixed incomes. It also notes that energy efficiency and conservation are essential to customer involvement. Further, the strategy points out that the successful shift to a two-way flow of electricity + data + communication depends on linked, ongoing Hawaiian Electric initiatives, including Advanced Rate Design, Grid Modernization, and Integrated Grid Planning.

The document is available for review at Customer Energy Resources for Hawaii. Comments may be sent to connect@hawaiianelectric.com with “CER Strategy” in the subject line.