Power producer Clearway Energy Group recently achieved commercial operations for its 36-MW solar farm with 144 MWh of battery storage on Kamehameha Schools’ lands in Waiawa in Central Oahu, Hawaii.
According to the company, the site will produce enough clean electricity to provide power for more than 7,600 homes per year. The battery system stores electricity for use during periods of peak demand and when the sun is not available.
The project represents a $150 million investment on approximately 180 acres of land leased from Kamehameha Schools.
This is Clearway’s fifth utility-scale solar project in Hawaii, and second utility-scale solar and battery project on Oahu. Project construction was led by Moss and the batteries were supplied by Wärtsilä.
“We are proud to help Hawaii reach its climate goals and invest in renewable energy in the state,” said Craig Cornelius, CEO of Clearway. “We are immensely grateful for the collaboration with our partners Hawaiian Electric and Kamehameha Schools who help make those goals a reality.”
Since 2019, Clearway has built several renewable energy projects in Hawaii, including a 49 MW site in Kawailoa on Oahu’s North Shore, a 14.7 MW facility in Mililani, and a 45.9 MW facility in Waipio. In August 2022, the company completed its first utility-scale solar and battery project in the Mililani Agricultural Park. Combined, these five solar projects have a total capacity of 185 MW for Hawaiian Electric’s grid and produce enough clean electricity to power more than 45,500 homes on Oahu annually.
“Stabilizing energy costs for our customers is a priority, and projects like Waiawa Solar will feed electricity to the grid at about half the cost of oil,” said Shelee Kimura, President and CEO of Hawaiian Electric. “We appreciate Clearway’s and Kamehameha Schools’ contributions as we all work together to decarbonize our energy system, and look forward to bringing more benefits to our communities as six additional projects come online over the next two years on Oahu.”
Clearway Energy Group is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Carlsbad, California; Scottsdale, Arizona; Houston; and Princeton, N.J. Along with its public affiliate Clearway Energy, the company owns and operates more than 8 GW of renewable and conventional energy assets across the country.
