Mililani I Solar now sending clean energy to Oahu grid
Eight more renewable projects coming online on Oahu by end of 2024
Release Date: 8/11/2022
HONOLULU, Aug. 11, 2022 – Mililani I Solar – the first of nine clean energy projects slated to come online on Oahu through 2024 – is now feeding lower-cost renewable energy to Hawaiian Electric’s grid. Over time, these projects will help stabilize the cost of energy for customers.
Clearway Energy Group officially dedicated Mililani I Solar, the first utility-scale solar-plus-storage project in operation on Oahu. The project generates 39 megawatts and includes a 156 megawatt-hour battery at a cost of 9 cents per kilowatt-hour. It offers the lowest price per kilowatt-hour among Oahu renewable energy projects currently under development or awaiting regulatory approval. The energy it generates and sends to the grid benefits all Hawaiian Electric customers on Oahu.
Although the addition of Mililani I Solar will only push rates down a small amount, eight other clean energy projects are coming in 2023 and 2024, most generating electricity at one-third the cost of oil. As more come online, these projects will insulate Hawaii from the oil price spikes driven by international events.
Among the projects is Clearway Energy’s Waiawa Solar Power, which will generate 36 MW and is paired with a 144 MWh battery. It is expected to come online in early 2023 at 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. In 2019, Clearway brought online three grid-scale solar projects on Oahu.
These renewable energy resources provide long-term price stability because they’re locked in at a contracted price, typically from 9 to 13 cents per kilowatt-hour for solar and storage on Oahu. View Hawaiian Electric's renewable energy project status board for a list of future projects.
Last year, about a third of Oahu’s energy sales came from renewable resources. Transitioning to clean energy will help Hawaiian Electric meet its commitment to reduce carbon emissions from power generation by as much as 70% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. The company’s Climate Change Action Plan also commits to net zero emissions by 2045.
In 2018, Hawaiian Electric began the first phase of Hawaii’s largest procurement for renewable energy resources to meet the state’s 100% renewable portfolio standard requirement. The second phase of procurement started in 2019 and was among the largest single renewable energy procurements undertaken by a U.S. utility. From them, nearly 240 MW of variable renewable energy and roughly 1 gigawatt hours per year of energy storage are being developed on Oahu.
