Hawaiian Electric achieves 33% renewable energy in 2023 Renewable portfolio standard would have hit 41% under old calculation

Hawaiian Electric achieves 33% renewable energy in 2023
Renewable portfolio standard would have hit 41% under old calculation
HONOLULU, Feb. 21, 2024 – Bolstered by new grid-scale and rooftop solar capacity, Hawaiian
Electric achieved a 33% consolidated renewable portfolio standard (RPS) in 2023, reflecting
progress toward the 2030 RPS milestone of 40%.
The 33% is the consolidated RPS for Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island and Maui County and represents the
percentage of electricity generated by renewable resources. The RPS increased by a
percentage point from 2022.
In 2022, the state law determining the process for calculating RPS changed. Until then, the
RPS calculation reflected the percentage of electricity sold that came from renewable sources.
Under the old formula, the RPS for 2023 would have been 41% and the company would have
surpassed the 2030 RPS milestone seven years earlier than mandated.
The revised definition showing the percentage of total generation from renewables more
accurately measures progress toward the goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2045
by changing the way private rooftop solar is counted in the calculation.
The 33% was achieved through a mix of solar, geothermal, biomass, hydro, wind and biofuels.
The O‘ahu, Hawai‘i Island, and Maui County systems achieved 30%, 52%, and 35% RPS,
respectively. (See chart on page 2.)
Other 2023 RPS highlights:
• Grid-scale solar generation was buoyed by the addition of Waiawa Solar Power, which
generates 36 megawatts and includes a 144 megawatt-hour battery and came online in
January 2023. Waikoloa Solar (30 MW/120 MWh) also achieved commercial operations
in April.
• New customer-sited energy resources (private rooftop solar) installations totaled 65 MW.
• The energy generated using renewable resources increased by 123,362 MWh, a 3.8%
increase compared to 2022.
• Kapolei Energy Storage achieved commercial operations in December. The standalone
battery energy storage facility is expected to help displace fossil fuel generation and
increase renewable energy utilization to improve the RPS.

• The Maui wildfires in August damaged an estimated 6 MW of customer-sited rooftop
solar, representing an estimated loss of 4,600 MWh. In addition, two Feed-In Tariff
projects were destroyed, and Kuʻia Solar is offline due to previous fire damage and
damaged interconnection to the system. Maui Countyʻs RPS decreased by a percentage
point from 2022.
• Puna Geothermal Venture’s renewable production was 40% lower than in 2017, the last
full year of production from the facility before the May 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano.
This year, the company expects to further increase renewable generation and battery energy
storage. West Oʻahu Solar, Kūpono Solar, Mountain View Solar, Hoʻohana Solar 1, Hale
Kuawehi Solar and AES Kuihelani are expected to reach commercial operations in 2024.
Additional private rooftop solar and continued progress toward Puna Geothermal Ventureʻs
return to full service are expected to further aid the RPS.
2023 Renewable Portfolio Standard
Note: Percentages by resource type may not sum to each island’s RPS total due to rounding.