Hawai‘i PV Approvals Continue at Record Pace

Photo courtesy of Living Off Grid.

By Maui Now Staff

Hawaiian Electric recently announced that rooftop PV approvals in Hawai‘i are continuing at record pace, with a total of nearly 70,000 rooftop solar photovoltaic net energy metering applications approved across O‘ahu, Maui County, and Hawaiʻi Island.

In October 2014, Hawaiian Electric committed to clear a backlog of about 2,800 pending NEM applications.

Since then, more than 15,000 applications have been approved to install or interconnect.

“Rooftop PV is an important option for many of our customers and a key part of the mix of renewable resources we need to meet our state’s goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2045,” said Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president of customer service. “We’re working hard to provide our customers with options that support the continued growth of solar energy in ways that are safe and reliable while ensuring fair treatment for all customers.”

As of July 15, 2015, 69,330 rooftop solar NEM applications have been approved to install or interconnect by Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric and Hawai‘i Electric Light Company.

“We’ve worked closely with the PV industry and manufacturers of solar equipment to make improvements that help customers install rooftop solar systems safely and reliably,” Alberts said. Hawai‘i utilities are far ahead of the rest of the nation in PV installed per customer, with 20 times the national average.