Dive Brief:
- Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) is finishing a study to find a way to reduce obstacles blocking further integration of rooftop solar onto the electricity system.
- New rooftop solar integration rules introduced in 2013 stymied efforts to add more rooftop solar in certain areas of the grid, which had a negative effect on the solar industry in Hawaii.
- HECO said it is working with inverter manufacturers, the solar industry and energy storage vendors to find a solution to integrating more solar safely and reliably onto the grid.
Dive Insight:
HECO's efforts are welcome news to solar advocates in Hawaii. Earlier this year, the PUC ordered the utility to review its integrated resource plan, with greater effort needed to encourage renewable generation and integration. Rooftop solar installations can result in unwanted voltage spikes and power surges, endangering the rest of the grid's ability to deliver power. But this can be overcome by using inverters, which convert solar power to the current needed for the grid.
Energy storage technology will have a large role to play, said HECO CEO Richard Rosenblum. The utility is currently petitioning state lawmakers to modify Rule 14H, which sets standards for energy storage devices on the grid, with a view to enabling more energy storage devices to be more easily connected to the grid.