Hawaiian Electric Companies file plan to modernize island grids
The Hawaiian Electric Companies filed their Grid Modernization Strategy with the Hawai’i Public Utilities Commission (PUC) this week, which aims to support the integration of renewables, smart technologies and other tools.
In the near-term, the plan includes the strategic distribution of smart meters, reliance on advanced inverter technology to support rooftop adoption, improved outage management and notification tools and increased use of voltage management tools, especially on circuits with heavy solar penetration.
The strategy for the long-term involves evolving the grid to allow for greater consumer choice, support economic development and create smart communities that use data and energy management systems.
The updates to the Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric and Hawai’i Electric Light energy networks are
expected to cost approximately $205 million over the next six years.
The submission of the “Modernizing Hawaii’s Grid for Our Customers” strategy follows the filing of the companies’ draft report in late June. The company filed written comments on the draft plan along with transcripts of public meetings held to discuss the draft plans.
