COMMUNITY-BASED RENEWABLE ENERGY

WHAT IS COMMUNITY-BASED RENEWABLE ENERGY?

In 2015, Act 100 of the Hawai‘i State Legislature directed the Hawai‘i Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to establish a “community-based renewable energy” tariff (Section 269-27.4, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes). The details of the tariffs and programs have been (and are being) developed under PUC Docket No. 2015-0389.

A tariff is a published volume of rate schedules and general terms and conditions under which a product or service will be supplied.

The stated intent of the program is “to make the benefits of renewable energy generation more accessible to a greater number” of Hawai‘i residents and businesses who would otherwise be unable to directly participate in renewable energy generation for reasons such as lack of up-front capital for their renewable energy system; building or home location, which may not receive enough sunlight or may be located on a saturated circuit; building type or roof design that may not be able to physically support the solar panels; proximity or other limited access to the utility grid; and/or property ownership status (e.g., renters, lessees).

Community-based renewable energy (CBRE) is also commonly referred to as “community solar” and is referred to by Hawaiian Electric as “Shared Solar.” In a CBRE program:

A Subscriber Organization is a company, organization, or group of people who own, develop, or operate a CBRE project in an electric utility’s service territory.

A Subscriber is a customer (in the service territory of the same electric utility) who agrees to pay a Subscriber Organization for a portion of the output from the Subscriber Organization’s renewable energy project. These credits are applied to the Subscriber’s electric utility account to offset a portion of the Subscriber’s electricity bill.

It is important to note that Subscribers purchase renewable energy credits from a Subscriber Organization and the electric utility applies those credits to the Subscriber’s electric bill.

Hawaii Ocean

HOW TO BECOME A SUBSCRIBER ORGANIZATION

A Subscriber Organization can be any organization such as a neighborhood, club, homeowners’ association, church, labor union, charitable organization, environmental organization, or a company that develops renewable energy facilities. The utility can act as a Subscriber Organization under certain circumstances.

Potential Subscriber Organizations for Hawaiian Electric’s service area should register at: https://communityenergyHawaii.com/#/SORegistration.

HOW TO BECOME A SUBSCRIBER

Only customers of Hawaiian Electric Company, with an active account and account number, can sign up to be a Subscriber. Eligible utility customers may include homeowners, renters, business owners, or lessees.

To participate in CBRE, Subscribers must agree to share their electric account data with Hawaiian Electric, the program enrollment software provider, and the Subscriber Organization.

Hawaiian Electric customers should visit CommunityEnergyHawaii.com to enroll.

If a Subscriber moves to another location on the same island, their subscription can move with them. If a Subscriber moves off the island, the Subscriber can sell the subscription back to the Subscriber Organization.

These resources are advisory and for informational purposes only and may not be relied upon to determine available assistance. Contact the appropriate agencies and entities for additional information. The listings, associations, and contacts herein are provided for informational purposes only and are not meant to be all-inclusive. The Hawai‘i State Energy Office does not endorse or certify the individuals, organizations, or agencies on these lists. If you are an organization or agency that provides community-based renewable energy services and wish to be added to the content found in the following summary pages, we welcome you to contact us and provide your information for the listing.

This page will be updated as more information becomes available.

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