‘Shared solar’ program could benefit 1,500 households

About 1,500 Huge Island households will obtain credit to decrease their power payments via efforts to develop photo voltaic installations in Naalehu and North Kona.

Late final yr, Hawaiian Electrical chosen seven photo voltaic power mission proposals throughout Hawaii to launch its “shared photo voltaic” program, the place certified prospects can profit from photo voltaic power even when they can not set up photo voltaic. panels of their properties.

Three of these tasks shall be situated on the Huge Island: a 176-acre photo voltaic array situated on non-public agricultural-zoned land west of Naalehu and simply south of Mamalahoa Freeway, and a pair of arrays on about 100 acres in Division of Hawaiian Residence Lands in Kalaoa simply throughout the Queen Kaahumanu Freeway from Wawaloli Seashore Park.

Collectively, all three tasks will contribute 9 megawatts of electrical energy to Hawaiian Electrical’s Huge Island energy grid.

All three tasks — in addition to 4 others on Maui and Oahu — shall be constructed by Nexamp Photo voltaic LLC, a 15-year-old photo voltaic firm with tasks all around the nation.

Nexamp Communications Director Keith Hevenor stated the shared photo voltaic idea – additionally known as community-based renewable power, or CBRE – has been carried out in some mainland states corresponding to Illinois, New York, Minnesota, Maine and so forth.

“There’s an enormous false impression individuals have in regards to the idea,” Hevenor stated. “However we do not ship energy on to houses. The ability we generate, that goes straight to Hawaiian Electrical’s energy grid.

Mike Billet, Nexamp’s director of enterprise improvement, stated that certified prospects will obtain month-to-month credit to scale back their power payments, estimated based mostly on common power consumption, for every of the three tasks. will profit about 500 households.

The shared photo voltaic program requires that 60% of beneficiaries be low- to moderate-income residential prospects, Billet stated. These prospects will need to have a family revenue throughout the US Division of Housing and City Growth’s standards for low to average revenue, or profit from a wide range of authorities help applications.

The remaining 40% of this system’s beneficiaries have to be nonprofit organizations, which Billet stated consists of authorities businesses and 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organizations.

Billet stated precedence shall be given to certified prospects situated close to photo voltaic farms.

“We’re often all for websites that don’t have any cultural or environmental impression, in addition to locations with restricted or no visibility, as a result of we all know lots of people, perhaps they do not need to look on extra photo voltaic panels on a regular basis,” Billet stated.

Three Huge Island tasks have assured dates to start industrial operations, Billet stated: the Naalehu photo voltaic farm is scheduled to return on-line in June 2025, and the Kalaoa farms will start operations in November 2025. In the meantime, each tasks nonetheless have to undergo the allowing course of and environmental impression research.

Residents will be taught extra in regards to the tasks at a pair of public conferences later this month. Details about the Kalaoa tasks shall be accessible from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. this Thursday on the Pure Power Laboratory of Hawaii Authority in Kailua-Kona, and a gathering in regards to the Naalehu mission from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on January 26 on the Naalehu Group Heart.

E mail Michael Brestovansky at [email protected].