Rooftop Solar Installations Up 39% in Hawaiʻi

File Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Maui Now Staff

Rooftop solar installations in Hawaiʻi grew by 39% over one year with more than 17,600 installations added in 2013, according to Hawaiian Electric, parent company of Maui Electric.

The solar installations added more than 129 megawatts of capacity to Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric, and Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company grids, company officials said.

Here on Maui, 8% of Maui Electric customers have rooftop solar, according to new data released this week.

Company representatives say there are a total of 5,246 solar installations in Maui County, that have a total operating capacity of 41 megawatts.

Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president for customer service said the company is “committed to a strong, sustainable solar industry in Hawai‘i.”

In a press release statement he said, “We continue to approve new solar systems for interconnection daily. And we are working to find ways to add more solar power, including on circuits that already have large amounts of PV installed.”