KAWAILOA SOLAR, WAIPI’O SOLAR, AND MILILANI SOLAR II PROJECTS
Location: Oahu, Hawaii
Project Timeline: The three projects were completed as part of a utility-scale solar block in September 2019.
Number of Photovoltaic Panels: About 8,000
Energy Production: 109.6MW (49MW Kawailoa Solar project, 45.9MW Waipi‘o Solar project, and the 14.7MW Mililani Solar II project)
Developers: Clearway Energy Group, LLC; Moss Solar; and Global Infrastructure Partners
Owner and Operator: Clearway Energy Group with a purchase partnership agreement with Hawaiian Electric Company
On the island of Oahu — home to Honolulu and Waikiki — three recent grid-scale solar projects are moving Hawaiian Electric closer to being less dependent on fossil fuels.
The solar facilities with 109.6MW of capacity are still the largest single block of grid-scale solar power ever to be developed in Hawaii, according to the developer and owner, Clearway Energy Group. The projects contribute 3% to Hawaiian Electric’s renewable portfolio standard goal, expected to reach 30% by the end of 2020.
“These solar projects are helping our state secure its energy future for generations to come,” said Hawaii Governor David Ige at the opening ceremony, which included a traditional Hawaiian blessing and untying of a maile lei, the local equivalent to ribbon cutting.
Combined, the projects at Kawailoa, Waipio, and Mililani generate renewable energy equivalent to that used by about 18,000 homes on the island. In addition to supplying clean energy to the entire community, one of the projects will also provide a learning experience for local children. The largest of the three projects — the 49MW Kawailoa Solar — is built on former sugar cane land owned by Kamehameha Schools, a private school established in 1887. As a result, Kamehameha can educate students about the benefits of solar energy. The project is situated on the North Shore of Oahu near a wind farm, so it shares roads, a substation, and transmission lines.
The construction team developed the 45.9MW Waipio Solar project on former cattle pasture in Central Oahu. As at Kawailoa Solar, sheep also graze on the land, supporting agriculture and helping with vegetation management.
For the third project, workers installed more than 150,000 solar panels on former pineapple land within the Mililani Agricultural Park, which features active farming operations.
The construction required teamwork and dedication from all the local partners, according to Clearway. SunEdison originated the project, which was sold to NRG and then to Clearway.
“It was especially satisfying to see the projects completed after a long, somewhat tortuous ownership and regulatory journey,” noted Alan Oshima, then president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric.
