Hawaiian Electric Co. said Friday the state’s largest solar farm will begin pumping power into the grid Dec. 15.

The 27.6-megawatt solar project in Waianae will triple the amount of utility-scale solar connected to Oahu’s grid. San Diego- based Eurus Energy America is developing the facility on approximately 200 acres of land in West Oahu. Eurus will sell energy to HECO at a rate of about 14.5 cents per kilowatt-hour.

“When you see all of those solar panels, it really makes you think about how far we’ve come in renewable energy,” said Darren Pai, HECO spokesman. “We still have work to do, but our community has made a lot of progress working to meet our state’s energy goals.”

Hawaii has a goal of 100 percent electricity production from renewable energy by 2045.

HECO favors solar farms instead of more rooftop solar for future solar expansions on the islands because it gives the utility more control over production and integration of solar energy into the grid.

“As a utility-scale project, it will be integrated into our overall system,” Pai said. “This will allow our systems operators to monitor its output and complement it by managing the operations of other generators on this system. This will help ensure we can maintain reliable service for all customers.”

What the Waianae solar farm doesn’t do is allow for condo dwellers and renters to invest in the facility. The new solar farm was not developed as a “community solar” project, Pai said.

Community solar projects give renters and those living in high-rises the opportunity to benefit from solar like owners of single-family homes with photovoltaic on their rooftops. Hawaii doesn’t have community solar yet. Community programs on the mainland credit residents for solar energy produced after they pay an upfront fee for a portion of a solar farm or wind farm. Some programs allow residents to use a lease model, which doesn’t require an upfront fee.

“We applaud the addition of new clean, local power to our energy grid,” said Jeff Mikulina, executive director of Blue Planet Foundation.

“To reach our 100 percent renewable goal, we’ll need a lot more solar in all shapes and sizes. We have no shortage of empty rooftops, and we have no shortage of residents and businesses who want to go solar. That’s why the long-awaited community solar program is so critical. It opens access to solar for everyone.”

HECO said last month it would take the company roughly 12 to 18 months to put in place a community solar program.

Members of Hawaii’s energy community have voiced concerns over the time it is taking.

Henry Curtis, executive director of the environmental group Life of the Land, said he was worried about the delay.

“It appears that this program won’t get launched for three or four more years,” Curtis said.

That would leave renters — who made up 42 percent of households in Hawaii in 2011 — as well as apartment owners without an easy way to directly invest in Hawaii’s renewable-energy push.

“As many as half of Hawaii residents can’t participate in rooftop solar because they live in multi-unit dwellings, are renters or otherwise don’t have access to suitable rooftop space,” said Melissa Miyashiro, chief of staff at Blue Planet Foundation.

“But those that can’t afford single-family homes shouldn’t be left out. We want to see a community program not just in name, but one that is actually driven by people. And people have waited long enough.”

PUC Chairman Randy Iwase said the Waianae project was necessary for Oahu to move forward to meet the state’s energy benchmarks.

“It’s necessary and needed on Oahu,” Iwase said.

Iwase said while the utility advances in renewable-energy projects, programs will be needed that allow more residents to participate.

“There needs to be something so that the participants can get involved,” Iwase said. “I would hope that the (community solar) program is in the back of their (HECO officials’) minds as they plan for the use of 27 megawatts in Waianae.”

HECO said it has been supporting and working on community solar for years.

“We’ve been working for several years to develop a viable community solar program,” Pai said. “We want to help make the benefits of solar available to more people, especially renters and others who face challenging installation issues.”

In October 2015 HECO submitted to the PUC a design for a community solar program after state lawmakers passed Act 100, mandating that electrical utilities come up with a plan that would allow residents to participate in owning a renewable-energy project even if they can’t install one where they live.

The PUC is reviewing the HECO plan and will make a decision by the end of the year.

The offer HECO put on the table allows a ratepayer to get a discount on electric bills by owning an interest in the electricity generated by a renewable project in exchange for a one-time minimum payment of roughly $2,071.

The value of the discount would vary depending on which renewable-energy project a customer buys into and how much of an initial investment the customer makes. HECO said up to 8,540 residents of Oahu, Maui County and Hawaii island could participate in the program.

The program, if approved by the PUC, would take about a year to launch, HECO said.