A trio of solar projects slated for West Hawaii will be the first on Hawaii Island to offer Hawaiian Electric’s shared solar program.
The shared solar program, also known as community-based renewable energy or CBRE, aims to help lower the electric bills of customers who meet low- and moderate-income (LMI) levels and are unable to install privately-owned rooftop solar. It also helps the utility to meet Hawaii’s target of 100% renewable energy for electricity production by 2045.
CBRE programs are designed to promote broader participation in renewable energy projects by allowing electric utility customers to purchase shares in a renewable energy facility to offset their monthly energy consumption via a credit for that renewable energy on their utility bills, according to the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
On Hawaii Island, that credit will be 15 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh).
Nexamp Solar LLC was selected by Hawaiian Electric to offer the program through three solar plus battery projects: two in North Kona and third in Ka‘u. Each will be financed, constructed, owned and operated by Nexamp Solar under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement, which must still be executed with Hawaiian Electric with approval from the Public Utilities Commission.
The company is targeting to execute the agreement by June 2023 and be operational no later than November 2025.
In North Kona, the two projects are being dubbed Kalaoa A and Kalaoa B and will be situated on 100 acres of Department of Hawaiian Home Lands land mauka of Queen Kaahumanu Highway and the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority.
The energy systems will each consist of 4.3 megawatts (MW) DC of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation capacity using FTC Voyager single-axis tracker racking. Both will be connected to a 3.4 MW/13.7-megawatt-hour (MWh) Tesla Megapack 2XL Lithium-Ion Battery Energy Storage System.
In Ka‘u, Nexamp will build a system on about 176 acres of private agricultural zoned land off Waiohinu Spur Road, west of Naalehu and makai of Mamalahoa Highway.
The system will consist of 4.2MW DC of solar PV generation capacity using FTC Voyager single-axis tracker racking. Similar to Kona, it will be connected to a 3.435 MW / 13.736 MWh Tesla Megapack 2XL Lithium-Ion Battery Energy Storage System.
“Our proven track record as a long-term owner/operator has made us a trusted partner in hundreds of communities today and our seven new Nexamp projects in Hawai‘i will help the state move toward its decarbonization goals,” says Zaid Ashai, chief executive officer of Nexamp. “Dedicated to low- and moderate-income residents, each of these shared solar projects will ensure equal access to participate and lower their electric costs while reducing the islands’ fossil fuel dependence. We look forward to making our popular community solar program and other consumer decarbonization services available to all residents of Hawaii in the years ahead.”
According to Nexamp, the company was founded in 2007 by two U.S. Army veterans Will Thompson and Dan Leary.
The three Hawaii Island projects are among seven Nexamp projects selected by Hawaiian Electric across the state. Three others are located on Maui while the fourth is on Oahu.
Once the projects are available on Hawaiian Electric’s CBRE Portal, LMI customers – including those who are renters and apartment residents – may become “subscribers” to a facility on their respective island. Once the projects are built and online, the subscribers receive credits on their monthly electricity bill based on their level of participation in the project.