Unshackled: Hawai’i’s Innovative New Power Purchase Agreements for Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic and Energy Storage Projects [Technology Leaders]

Abstract

Island power systems around the world are, in many ways, leading the power industry in developing strategies for accommodating high levels of variable, weather-dependent generating resources. These systems often have relatively high energy costs associated with serving their loads with traditional fossil resources. As such, they are highly motivated to simultaneously reduce their energy costs and emissions footprints with renewables. The successes of these islands can show the way forward, not only for other islands, but ultimately for large, interconnected power systems. In additional to technical advances, innovations in business arrangements can provide equally important learning for the entire industry. Here we examine one such innovation.