Oahu residents who want to own a portion of a solar farm will have to wait at least one year before the option will be available.
That was the message from a round-table discussion about community-based renewable programs on Wednesday featuring Hawaiian Electric Co., state Public Utilities Commission staff members, members of the solar industry and clean-energy nonprofits.
During the discussion Keiki-Pua Dancil, director of business strategy development at HECO, said planning for a community renewable-energy project at HECO could take anywhere between 12 and 18 months after getting an order from the PUC.
“The sooner we know what the parameters are, the sooner we can get to work,” Dancil said.
The PUC staff members at the meeting would not say how long it will take to deliver the guidelines for the program.
Matthew McDonnell, an attorney for the PUC, said building a community-based renewable program is a top priority for the commission, and that the staff is trying to set up the guidelines as quickly as possible.
In June the PUC staff offered a suggestion — not final — of what credits might look like for Hawaii residents participating in a community-based renewable-energy program.
In exchange for a one-time payment, a ratepayer would get an interest for 20 years in the electricity generated by a renewable — wind or solar — project. Participants would get a discount on their electrical bill that would vary depending on the renewable-energy project in which they invest. The participants would be credited for the energy their share of the project produces and whether it is produced during peak hours or off-peak hours.
The PUC said that, for example, Oahu residents who participate in a community renewable-energy program might be credited 15 cents a kilowatt-hour midday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), 17.75 cents a kilowatt-hour on-peak (5 to
10 p.m.) and 17 cents a kilowatt-hour off-peak (10 p.m. to 9 a.m.).
Credits from the program would roll over from one month to the next. Annually, all remaining rollover bill credits would be lost.
The staff also provided outlines of key elements and parameters that the agency said were critical. In the outline, the PUC said a portion of each project should be reserved for low- to moderate-income residents.
The PUC also said the community-based program should have an online portal, be limited to customers who are not enrolled in other solar incentives, and require 1-kilowatt minimum customer subscription.
Jeff Mikulina, executive director of Blue Planet Foundation, said that the sooner there is a program in place the better, as it will give residents in condos or apartments access to renewable energy.
“Hopefully, we can move quickly,” Mikulina said.“This has been discussed in Hawaii in some form for at least five years.”
