The installation of residential rooftop solar systems used by Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric and Hawaii Electric Light customers increased by 5.3% in 2018 from 2017.
Year-end figures show that 18% of residential customers in the companies’ five-island service territory are using rooftop solar, up from 17% in 2017. Nearly 4,000 new systems came online in 2018, supporting the companies’ drive to reach the state’s next milestone of 30% renewable energy by 2020.
“We are extremely proud of the progress we’ve made as a company and as a state to build steady growth in residential rooftop solar,” says Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric’s senior vice president of customer service. “Rooftop solar is a critical piece of the renewable mix that will move the state toward a 100 percent clean energy future, and we’re excited to see the numbers increase year after year.”
Residential rooftop solar systems installed across the companies’ service territory rose to 74,331 in 2018 from 70,607 in 2017, representing a 5.3% jump. All islands saw an increase.
On Oahu, one out of three single-family homes now has rooftop solar.
