Oahu’s solar battery program to advertise clear vitality hindered by licensing system – Yahoo Information

October 8 – A new program that offers Hawaiian Electric customers on Oahu the opportunity to feed their stored solar power into the grid and get paid for it has generated a lot of interest, according to industry representatives.

The introduction of the Battery Bonus program should help make up for a lack of available renewable energy when the Oahu coal-fired power plant retires in September.

Hawaiian Electric is offering a one-time cash payment of $ 850 per kilowatt – or $ 4,250 for five kilowatts – to phase one of customers who agreed to add a battery to an existing or new rooftop solar array and use it during of the company to export peak evening hours. You would have to be committed to the program for 10 years.

Solar companies said phones were ringing and customers were interested in purchasing solar battery systems, but the program is facing a significant hurdle.

The hook? Slow processing of required permits by the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting.

“The interest was huge,” said Brian Gold, president of the Hawaii Solar Energy Association. “The industry would be twice as busy if DPP were to work leaner.”

To apply for the program, Hawaiian Electric requires solar companies to obtain a building permit from DPP that sets the final incentive amount, the utility said.

As of September 30, Hawaiian Electric announced that it had received 334 applications for the Battery Bonus program. Of these, 143 are approved for installation, the rest are in various phases of review.

This is an increase from just 31 applications approved at the end of August when the program was launched.

Hawaiian Electric said early challenges arose and applications were returned, with the most common issues being a lack of planning permission followed by a lack of information or documents proving ownership.

The story goes on

Solar companies say the process of applying for approval “over the counter” – or in person – and obtaining approval can take anywhere from four to six months or more.

So while thousands of customers are keen to sign up for the Battery Bonus program, about half are stuck in the approval process, Gold said.

Recently, contractors filing applications at DPP’s downtown permit center found a sign informing them that the building permit process is eight weeks behind schedule and payments are about 13 business days behind schedule.

Hawaii Energy Connection’s Chris DeBone, who sells the KumuKit, said his company has hundreds of customers looking to sign up for the program.

But in the past, he had approval requests that were automatically canceled because they weren’t completed for more than eight weeks and had to be re-submitted to start the process over.

“It’s not that they’re turned down,” he said. “You’re just late.”

In the “over the counter” approval process, he said, someone gives approval at one of DPP’s two offices – downtown or in Kapolei – followed by waiting for an employee to complete the review process, which may take weeks .

After approval – sometimes with some back and forth – there is another wait to make payment in order to receive approval, which can take several weeks. Since it’s already October, DeBone says the company is getting customers to sign a disclosure advising them of risks and that approval may not be obtained in time to complete their project as planned.

According to HSEA in a September 29 letter to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, the potential consequences of AES going offline are insufficient backup power.

“It doesn’t have to happen,” Gold said in his letter. “There are immediate, short-term steps your administration can take to resolve issues caused by the Department of Planning and Licensing that will enable customer-based solutions to address issues with Oahu’s electrical grid.”

According to HSEA, the solutions are simple and can be approached by moving much of the process online to around six weeks.

In the online approval process, a conditional use permit for the construction is issued, followed by an inspection at the end. But only about 30% of households looking for a solar battery system come into question.

Ineligible include homes that share a driveway and homes that share a control card key that are in a subdivision that includes parts of Mili Lani and more recent developments in Kapolei and Ewa Beach, where solar power is in great demand. This includes houses in a flood zone or with restricted arrangements.

However, there isn’t necessarily something about these ineligible homes that makes their solar battery installations structurally different. Approving these homes for online approval would speed the process without compromising security, they said.

Also, solar systems are generally exceptional and do not require the same level of control as building a new home or building. And they are still subject to controls.

“In reality, these systems are always the same,” said Gold. “For rooftop solar panels, it’s an easy installation. For the most part, it’s a one-day job, so it’s really not much different than installing a new piece of equipment in your house – a refrigerator or an air conditioner.”

Gold said the group, which represents more than 100 members, has repeatedly asked to meet DPP Director Dean Uchida to discuss practical solutions, to no avail.

According to Gold, the average time frame for solar permit review nationally is one to two weeks, compared to four to six months in Honolulu.

Solar permits also make up more than half of the permits processed at DPP. So if they were streamlined, people there could focus on others in the pipeline.

Instead of getting simpler, DPP’s approval process has only recently become longer and more complex for solar battery systems, the company said, just as industry increased demand for the new battery program.

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission approved the Battery Bonus program in June, capping it to 50 megawatts, but hopes to support other renewable energy sources to support AES Hawaii, the 180 MW coal-fired power plant in Campbell Industrial Park, upon retirement replace in September.

Also, the PUC, the state’s largest stand-alone battery storage system, slated to be completed next year, however, said fossil fuel charging should be the last resort.

In a statement Thursday evening, Blangiardi said a 2020 DPP audit revealed long-standing problems in the department that both his administration and Uchida want to resolve.

“We are working on alternative processes to improve overall operations and efficiency for the public, and we are launching a modernization plan to upgrade DPP systems and resources,” Blangiardi said in a statement.

He said additional questions from the Honolulu Star Advertiser would require more time for an “accurate and thoughtful answer” and that more answers are on the way.

Blangiardi, along with Governor David Ige, along with national partners, declared Wednesday Energy Efficiency Day to recognize the importance of meeting clean energy goals in the face of climate change and their role in creating jobs during the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC’s “BATTERY BONUS” PROGRAM – The utility pays Oahu customers a cash incentive to add an energy storage device (a battery) to an existing or new solar system on the roof. – Customers enrolled in the program for the first 15 megawatts will receive $ 850 per kilowatt ($ 4,250 for 5 KW). Customers for the next 15 MW will receive $ 750 per KW. Customers for the last 20 MW will receive $ 500 per KW. Applications are possible until June 20, 2023 or until the 50 MW upper limit has been reached. – Customers undertake to export electricity from their battery storage system for two hours daily between 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm by December 31, 2023, program for 10 years. — Hawaiian Electric must pay the premium within 30 days of delivery of the data. — Others Information: .