Hawaiian Electric and the Department of the Navy announced plans to build a 20MW solar facility at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, West Loch Annex.
It's one of several major projects and initiatives by Hawaiian Electric to significantly increase its production of renewable energy by the end of the decade.
Hawaiian Electric plans to build, own and operate the solar facility at the joint base. In exchange for the land needed for the project, the base will receive in-kind consideration in the form of electrical infrastructure upgrades to Navy-owned facilities.
The renewable energy generated by the solar facility will feed into the island's electric grid and serve all customers on Oahu, including those on the base. The project requires the approval of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission. The agreement was commemorated in a celebratory lease signing event today at Pearl Harbor.
"We are building momentum on our journey toward 100 percent renewable energy. We'll get there by working closely with the Navy and our other partners in the community to develop smart, sustainable projects that can help stabilize electric rates for decades to come," said Alan Oshima, Hawaiian Electric president and CEO.
The Hawaiian Electric Companies are national leaders in the integration of renewable energy on their island grids, using renewables to generate more than 23 percent of their electricity in 2015. Other significant projects underway include:
-The 27.6-MW Waianae Solar project, the largest in Hawaii, developed by Eurus Energy
-More than 60 additional utility-scale solar projects across Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island with a combined capacity of nearly 40 megawatts
-The 24-MW Na Pua Makani wind farm in Kahuku
-The new 50-MW biofuel-capable Schofield Generation Station
-Ongoing approvals of rooftop PV systems, with more than 77,000 systems approved
-The 8-MW Honolulu International Airport Emergency Power Facility
-Two 2.87-MW solar farms on Maui being developed by Kuia Solar and South Maui Renewable Resources