Hawaii is a living laboratory for the future of solar, storage, EVs, and grid innovation. Today on The Clean Power Hour, hosts Josh Porter and Jason Verkaart of the SolarCoaster podcast join Tim Montague and share their in-depth knowledge of Hawaii's clean energy landscape.
Josh and Jason explain how Hawaii's high electricity rates, plentiful solar resources, and early adoption of a 100% renewable energy mandate, drove the growth of the solar industry in the state. Net metering helped catalyze residential solar adoption initially, but as solar penetration increased net metering rules changed, leading to non-injection rules meaning solar electrons had to be captured by a battery to meet code. It’s clear from the conversation that there is an ‘island culture’ which values resilience but NOT grid defection outright. It’s a fascinating journey and there are some unexpected twists and turns that our listeners will enjoy.
We discuss the challenges with siting and developing large-scale renewable energy projects to help meet Hawaii's goals. Only a fraction of the planned solar and storage projects from recent utility RFPs are likely to actually get built. Virtual power plants were mentioned as an alternative approach to aggregating small-scale assets.
We also talk extensively about the potential for vehicle-to-grid integration and bidirectional EV charging to provide grid services and resilience. With large EV batteries, bidirectional chargers, and smart controls, EVs could play a major role in the renewable energy future. Recovery from the recent catastrophic fires in Maui (where Josh and Jason reside) was augmented by the presence of battery banks that were deployed to provide backup power.
And finally we geek out on the upcoming RE+ Hawaii conference which Josh and Jason have partnered with to bring together clean energy professionals dedicated to overcoming challenges and discovering business opportunities unique to Hawaii. Use code COASTER15 to get a discount to the RE+ event.
Key Takeaways
1. Why has Hawaii been a leader in rooftop solar adoption?
2. How are changes to net metering impacting Hawaii's solar industry and residential systems?
3. How can electric vehicles and bidirectional charging support the energy transition?
4. How can events and dialogues like RE+ Hawaii drive continued progress?
5. What innovative renewable energy technologies is Hawaii exploring?
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:
SolarCoaster Podcast: https://solar-coaster.com/
Josh Porter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-porter-renewable-energy/
Jason Verkaart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-verkaart-5b1b1b16b/
RE+ Hawaii Event: https://re-plus.events/hawaii/
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