Hawaiian Electric Co. and its neighbor island utilities, Hawaii Electric Light Co. and Maui Electric Co., have filed an application with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for a program that could more than double the amount of solar-generated electricity in Hawaii.
If approved by the PUC, the photovoltaic host pilot program could add up to 16 MW of new PV systems over a two-year period – more than twice the amount of installed PV at the end of 2008, the utilities note.
Under the proposal, which is aimed at government and commercial facilities, the utilities would lease rooftops or other space for the systems from property owners. Independent PV developers would then be contracted to install PV systems at these sites. The PV developers would own, operate and maintain the systems and sell the energy to the utilities at a fixed rate under a long-term contract.
SOURCE: Hawaiian Electric Co.
