HONOLULU — Hawaiian Electric announced the first of nine clean energy projects slated for Oahu is now online. Clearway Energy Group officially dedicated Mililani I Solar on Aug. 11, the first utility-scale solar-plus-storage project in operation on Oahu.


What You Need To Know

  • Clearway Energy Group's Mililani I Solar generates 39 megawatts and includes a 156 megawatt-hour battery at a cost of 9 cents per kilowatt-hour

  • Clearway Energy's Waiawa Solar Power, anticipated to come online in early 2023, will generate 36 MW and is paired with a 144 MWh battery, at 10 cents per kilowatt-hour

  • Existing power plants use oil, the price of which has gone up due to international events, however as clean energy projects continue to come online, these will help to insulate Hawaii from oil price spikes in the future

  • Visit the Renewable Project Status Board for a list of renewable energy projects in the works

The project generates 39 megawatts and includes a 156 megawatt-hour battery at a cost of 9 cents per kilowatt-hour. In a news release, Hawaiian Electric said it offers the lowest price per kilowatt-hour among the Oahu renewable energy projects currently under development or awaiting regulatory approval.

“Clearway’s utility-scale solar + battery power plant in Mililani provides a reliable, low-cost source of electricity for Hawaiian Electric’s grid as the state closes its last coal plant next month,” said John Woody, Clearway Energy Group’s senior vice president of development. “We are glad to partner with Hawaiian Electric and others and move Hawaii closer to 100% renewable energy by 2045. We were able to take this facility over the finish line ahead of schedule thanks to strong collaboration with our partners.”

The coal-eating AES Corporation plant is set to shut down operations on Sept. 1. With that, Hawaiian Electric will rely on renewable resources such as Mililani I Solar, as well as existing power plants that use oil, the price of which has gone up due to international events.

The addition of Mililani I Solar “will only push rates down a small amount,” but together with the eight other clean energy projects in the pipeline for 2023 and 2024, they will help to insulate Hawaii from spikes in oil prices in the future by most of the projects generating electricity at one-third the cost of oil.

In the long-term, according to Hawaiian Electric, the projects will help stabilize the cost of energy for customers because they’re locked in at a contracted price, typically 9 to 13 cents per kilowatt-hour for solar and storage on Oahu.

In 2019, Clearway Energy brought three grid-scale solar projects online on Oahu. Its upcoming Waiawa Solar Power, which will generate 36 MW and is paired with a 144 MWh battery, is anticipated to come online in early 2023 at 10 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Hawaiian Electric’s Climate Change Action Plan commits to net zero emissions by 2045. Last year, about a third of Oahu’s energy came from renewable resources. By transitioning to clean energy, Hawaiian Electric will reduce carbon emissions by as much as 70% by 2030.

With its current procurement of renewable energy resources that began in 2018, Hawaiian Electric has nearly 240 MW of variable renewable energy and about one gigawatt hours per year of energy storage being developed on Oahu.

For a list of renewable energy projects in the works, visit the Renewable Project Status Board.

Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii.