Hawaii's Governor and the Hawaii electric utilities have reached an agreement on transforming Hawaii into one of the most progressive renewable energy states in the country. The agreement includes the construction of undersea cables that will connect Maui, Moloka'i and Lana'i so that wind generated in Maui can be utilized in Oahu which will add 400 MW of renewable capacity. Further, the agreement calls for 40% of the state's energy to be renewable by 2030. The agreement also calls for a mandatory solar roofing requirement and tax credits and rebates to convert homes to solar hot water heaters. Further, the utility will be responsibel for supplying solar water heaters to any customer and the cost will be shared between the customer and ratepayers.
The utilities are also required to implement a PV Host Program. The program will allow the utilities to own PV systems and pay rent to property owners and/or provide electricity to property owners. Further, the program will require a utility to purchase PV generated electricity pursuant to a feed-in tariff with the additional costs being borne by ratepayers.
The utilities have also agreed to implement a "feed-in" tariff system for renewable energy projects which will stabilize the price paid for renewable energy generated and purchased by the utility.
