Hawaiian Electric’s Battery Bonus program hits cap on O‘ahu Successor program offers new incentives for customers who add storage

Hawaiian Electric’s Battery Bonus program hits cap on O‘ahu
Successor program offers new incentives for customers who add storage
HONOLULU, Dec. 13, 2023 – Hawaiian Electric’s Battery Bonus program, which pays a cash
incentive and bill credits to customers who add battery storage to their rooftop solar systems,
has reached its maximum capacity of 40 megawatts (MW) on O‘ahu, and no new applications
are being processed at this time. A successor incentive program to Battery Bonus known as
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) will be available to Hawaiian Electric customers starting March
1, 2024.
Although Battery Bonus is closed on O‘ahu the program will continue to be available to
customers on Maui until June 30, 2024, or a cap of 15 MW is reached, whichever comes first.
Customers on all islands served by Hawaiian Electric will be eligible to enroll in BYOD, which
offers incentives for adding battery storage to new or existing solar systems.
Both Battery Bonus and BYOD make it easier for customers to add energy storage to their solar
systems while strengthening the resilience of the electric grid serving all customers. More
energy storage will be needed on the grid as Hawaiian Electric continues to replace fossil fuel
generation with renewable energy resources.
“Thanks to solid customer response Battery Bonus was able to meet its goal of adding critical
energy storage to O‘ahu’s grid,“ said Lani Shinsato, Hawaiian Electric Customer Energy
Resources co-director. “As we move forward with BYOD customers can continue to receive
incentives for providing grid services while playing a key role in Hawai‘i’s clean energy
transition.”
The launch of BYOD is aligned with Hawaiian Electric’s transition to a new streamlined structure
for its customer energy resource programs. This transition includes the shift to a new Smart
DER (distributed energy resources) program from the company’s current suite of rooftop solar
programs. BYOD is an advanced, supplemental tariff that customers participating in Smart DER
or an existing rooftop solar program may enroll in to provide additional grid services to Hawaiian
Electric in return for compensation.
In addition to BYOD and Battery Bonus, Hawaiian Electric customers also have the option of
participating in incentive programs operated in conjunction with independent companies under
contract with the utility. The Power Partnership Programs, available across Hawaiian Electric’s
service territory, rewards customers who allow their devices such as solar systems, battery
systems and grid-enabled water heaters to support the grid. More information is available at
Customer Incentive Programs.
Battery Bonus hits cap on O‘ahu

The BYOD program has three options:
• Level 1 rider requiring customers to send a promised amount of power to the grid for two
consecutive hours each day.
• Level 2 rider requiring customers to respond to utility-determined events by sending a
promised amount of power to the grid for a one-hour period.
• Level 3 rider requiring customers to respond to utility-determined events by sending to or
receiving from the grid promised amounts of power for up to two consecutive hours.
Enrollment in BYOD provides customers up to three incentives: a one-time upfront payment, a
monthly incentive, and credits for controlled energy exports during a defined period called a
“BYOD event.”
The upfront incentive provides $100 for each kilowatt (kW) of capacity that the customer
commits to making available during BYOD events. The upfront incentive is capped at $500 per
customer and $1,000 for customers with low- and moderate-incomes.
The monthly capacity performance incentive provides $5 per kW of commitment capacity for the
Level 1 and Level 2 riders and $10 per kW of commitment capacity for the Level 3 rider, based
on a customer’s average performance during BYOD events.
Customers on the Level 1, 2, or 3 riders may also earn credits for controlled energy exports
during BYOD events equal to the Smart DER Tariff Export Rider’s evening peak export rate,
regardless of the time of export.