Private solar systems reached nearly 97,000 in 2022, Hawaiian Electric reports
Thanks to fast growth, customer incentives, and an extension of federal tax credits, private solar systems on Hawaiian Electric’s grids rose to 96,912 solar systems across the five islands of its services.
The results were 1,058 MW of generating capacity and 155 MW of battery storage under the company’s purview. At this point, 22 percent of Hawaiian Electric’s residential customers have rooftop solar, and 35 percent of single-family homes have solar, making Hawaii home to the highest rates of rooftop solar adoption in the country.
One thing helping this along, though, is likely Hawaiian Electric’s Battery Bonus program. That program pays a one-time cash incentive and monthly bill credits to those who connect energy storage to new or existing rooftop solar systems. The program launched on Oahu in mid-2021 but expanded to Maui last year.
“This likely helped convince some customers who may have been putting off adding solar until now,” Kaiulani Shinsato, Hawaiian Electric Customer Energy Resources co-director, said. “In addition, higher electric rates and an extension of the federal tax credits helped drive demand for solar.”
Hawaiian Electric also offers a shared solar program, or community-based renewable energy (CBRE) program, which has proven a popular and growing option. This allows customers to install private rooftop solar to benefit collectively from solar energy generated on their islands.
Overall, the company has remained committed to cutting carbon emissions from its power generation by 70 percent as of 2030, compared to 2005 levels. The solar deployments are a step on that path and benefit Hawaiian Electric’s Climate Change Action Plan, which calls for 50,000 new rooftop solar systems on homes and businesses over the next eight years.
