Hawaiian Electric has selected seven solar projects on Hawaiʻi Island, O‘ahu and Maui to be the first on each island to offer the shared solar program (also known as community-based renewable energy or CBRE) 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.

In March 2022, the request for proposals was opened for developers, companies, organizations or groups to become a “subscriber organization” of shared solar projects for LMI customers.

A competitive bidding evaluation process, which accounted for the cost of the projects as well as non-price factors including community outreach, was used to evaluate the proposals. On O‘ahu, a shared solar LMI project co-developed by Nexamp Solar and Melink Solar Development was selected. On Hawai‘i Island and Maui, three projects on each island were selected, all of which are being developed by Nexamp Solar. Next, Hawaiian Electric will work with the selected developers to finalize the 20-year contracts.

Once the projects are available on Hawaiian Electric’s CBRE Portal, LMI customers, including 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 following projects:

 

Hawai‘i Island

Kalaoa Solar A 3 MW + Battery – nexamp.com/kalaoa-solar

Kalaoa Solar B 3 MW + Battery –  nexamp.com/kalaoa-solar

Nā‘ālehu Solar 3 MW + Battery – nexamp.com/naalehu-solar

 

O‘ahu

Kaukonahua Solar 6 MW (Solar only) – nexamp.com/kaukonahua-road-solar

 

Maui

Līpoa Solar 3 MW + Battery – nexamp.com/lipoa-solar

Makawao Solar 2.5 MW + Battery – nexamp.com/makawao-solar

Pi‘iholo Road Solar 2.5 MW + Battery – nexamp.com/piiholo-road-solar

 

The LMI shared solar projects are expected to be online in 2025.  For more information on Hawaiian Electric’s shared solar program, go to hawaiianelectric.com/sharedsolar and communityenergyhawaii.com.