Navy, Hawaiian Electric Agree to Build Solar Farm
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. 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.
Hawaiian Electric Company and the U.S. Navy announced they will build a 20 megawatt (28 megawatts DC) solar facility at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, West Loch Annex, with Hawaiian Electric constructing, owning, and operating the facility. Hawaiian Electric is conducting several projects to significantly increase its production of renewable energy by the end of this decade.
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. 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 does require approval from the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission.
"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's CEO and president.
Other significant projects now under way include the 27.6-MW Waianae Solar project, the largest in Hawaii, developed by Eurus Energy, and more than 60 additional utility-scale solar projects across Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island with a combined capacity of nearly 40 megawatts.