Recently, Hawaii adopted a feed-in-tariff to support the adoption of solar power in the state. Already a leader in solar thermal, Hawaii is on the progressive edge in the U.S. with the adoption of its program. As a refresher, a feed-in-tarrif is essentially where your utility company has to pay you cash for the amount of energy your solar system produces above the amount you consume. Currently in Hawaii, participating utility companies (HECO, MECO and HELCO) are paying $0.218/kWh for solar panel systems that are less than or equal to 20 kilowatts (kW); and $0.189/kWh for solar panel systems that are greater than 20 kW and less than or equal to 500 kW. Hawaii has not set rates for systems that are greater than 500 kW just yet.
However, recently, a report by the program’s independent observer, Accion Group, a New Hampshire consulting firm, has shown that in the first months of the programs operation, it has generated very little in the way of new solar adoption. Of the total 80 megawatts allocated to the program among the three participating utilities (HECO, MECO and HELCO), only 2.6 megawatts of solar PV applications have been filed.
Read More at The Energy Collective