Plans to build five large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) across the islands of Hawaii will come up for public input via web links and community TV channels, as utility Hawaiian Electric (HECO) takes the process into the ‘virtual’ space.
A clear leader among US states for solar PV installations per capita, Hawaii has also been installing increasing amounts of energy storage in the form of batteries (and some other technologies including flywheels) in order to integrate that renewable capacity. This includes multiple megawatt-scale dispatchable solar plants, built to provide energy at much lower cost than from the imported fossil fuels on which the island state has long relied.
This time last year, six large-scale projects were approved by state regulator Hawaii Public Utilities Commission comprising 240MW of solar and 988MWh of four-hour duration battery storage that HECO said would will help to protect customers from the “volatile prices of fossil fuels”. The state also has the goal of reaching 100% renewables by 2045 as well as a 2030 interim target of 40%.
Subsequently, in August 2019, Energy-Storage.news reported main utility Hawaiian Electric’s plan to tender for 900MW of solar PV, along with grid services. The plan announced then was to select winning projects by May of this year, for them to be completed and online between 2022 and 2025. Under the request for proposal (RFP) issued by HECO, PV plants can range from 4MW to 119MW capacity.
Hawaiian Electric proposed to “self-build” five energy storage projects that go along with that renewables procurement and has decided to push ahead with the necessary community meetings to seek public input on those proposals. The islands of Maui and Hawaii will see their community meetings hosted on a local tv channel, with HECO accepting emailed public input. Plans for Oahu will be hosted via Webex.
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