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HONOLULU, HI The monumental power failure in Texas caused by unseasonable cold showed how extreme weather can push an electric grid to the brink.
The average U.S. power customer loses electricity for 1.5 to 2 hours annually even before extreme weather events are taken into account, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. As the Texas experience showed, hurricanes, snowstorms, heat waves and other extreme weather events can make such outages dramatically worse.
Customers in Hawaii state experienced 3.25 hours without power in 2019 1.45 fewer hours than the national average of 4.7 hours in 2019, which is the most recent information available, according to the EIA.
Hawaii Lawmakers May Cut Solar Credits - Honolulu Civil Beat
The credits help to develop renewable energy projects but also cost the state millions of dollars. Reading time: 2 minutes.
As state lawmakers search for savings in the budget, Hawaii’s photovoltaic companies and solar operators are hoping tax credits for some renewable energy projects are left untouched.
“Keeping certainty on tax credits and state policy around credits is really essential,” David Bissell, CEO of the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, said during a legislative energy briefing Friday.
Leaders in Hawaii’s energy sector are hoping lawmakers don’t yank solar credits that have been key to developing renewable energy projects. Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
Dive Brief:
Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) and AES Corp. have executed and filed a power purchase agreement with Hawaii regulators to develop a solar-powered pumped hydro storage project the utility says will bring its total resource mix above 80% renewables.
The West Kauai Energy Project could come online in 2024. A solar array will be capable of sending 35 MW directly to the island s grid and an associated battery will store up to 240 MWh for dispatch during evening peak. The hydro resources are expected to produce 24 MW on average daily, including 12 hours of storage to be used overnight
KIUC says the project will meet about 25% of the island s electricity needs, and puts it on track to exceed the utility s target of reaching 70% renewable generation by 2030.