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Committee adopts 50,000 distributed-energy-resource goal for 2030, trims regulatory language
Summary
The committee approved legislation establishing a 50,000-customer rooftop distributed energy resource (DER) installation goal by Dec. 31, 2030, and removed extensive retail-wheeling and tariff directives, leaving implementation details to the Public Utilities Commission and existing proceedings.
The House committee on Feb. 4 adopted a bill establishing a target of 50,000 additional customer-sited distributed energy resource (DER) systems in Hawaii by Dec. 31, 2030, while removing broad new retail-wheeling authority and detailed tariff directions that were originally in the draft.
The Hawaii State Energy Office and industry groups urged the committee to set an ambitious target; Rocky Mould of the Hawaii Solar Energy Association said the 50,000 target corresponds to roughly 400 megawatts recommended by the Public Utilities Commission. "We are very excited about this 50,000 target," Mould said, adding that the PUC's January inclinations align with the goal.
Hawaiian Electric opposed parts of the bill that would preempt ongoing PUC dockets on export compensation and grid services, urging the commission to finish its stakeholder proceedings. Ka'iualani Sato of Hawaiian Electric said the PUC is already examining retail crediting and grid services through a live docket and recommended the PUC continue to set compensation and program design.
The committee amended the bill: it set the installation goal (50,000 rooftop systems by 12/31/2030), softened mandatory language about PUC actions ("shall" to "may" for certain tariff considerations), and removed large sections about retail wheeling and compensation formulas so the PUC could resolve those matters in its ongoing dockets. The committee moved the amended bill forward.
