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President Biden today signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment ever made in clean energy in the United States! The most important piece of the law for Hawaii customers is the renewal and extension of the 30% Investment Tax Credit, which now replaces the 26% credit for projects installed and operational after 1/1/2022 until 12/31/2032! That means that any customer that has been installed since 1/1/2022 now qualifies for a 30% federal tax credit instead of the 26% level which was effective until today. This additional value will speed up the return on your solar investment and help you lower home energy costs faster than expected. The law also contains some other really nice benefits for homeowners, including a 30% tax credit for standalone battery purchases which starts on 1/1/2023. There are also tax credits and rebates for investments in home energy efficiency upgrades and electric vehicles.… Read More »Inflation Reduction Act sweetens solar for the long-term

Maui County now leads the state of Hawaii in renewable energy with just over half the electricity used coming from clean energy sources during 2021, Hawaiian Electric said in a recent announcement. A six percent increase in rooftop solar systems across the state saw nearly 5,000 new systems added for a combined total of 53MW in 2021. If you were one of the homeowners to go solar in 2021, you can give yourself a “High Five” for being part of the solution as we accelerate efforts to reach 100% by 2045! “Everyone owns a piece of this remarkable progress,” said Shelee Kimura, president, and CEO of Hawaiian Electric. “It marks a huge step forward in Hawaii’s transition away from reliance on imported fossil fuels and by continuing to work with our communities, government, and other stakeholders we’re confident we can achieve our goal of reducing carbon emissions from power generation by… Read More »Maui leads renewable charge with 50% from clean energy

For example, the QuickConnect program allows customers to energize their home solar systems as soon as they are installed, so you can enjoy your bill savings faster than ever. As your sales rep if you qualify for QuickConnect so you can get the most from your solar panels as soon as possible. The utility is also working on programs to supplement the savings provided by rooftop solar panels. These new programs should simplify and streamline the programs already in place for solar panels and home batteries.  Click here to learn how the utility plans to pay customers with home batteries to supply stabilizing services to the overall grid. These voluntary programs are likely to be open to every grid-tied solar system with a home battery. Customers will likely be financially rewarded by the utility grid for providing services in normal and emergency conditions.  Now, won’t that make a nice change!

Hawaii Island is moving forward with its renewable energy goal, and rooftop solar continues to be front and center in the plan for hitting 100% Statewide by 2040. Key factors in 2020 were the gradual return of the Puna Geothermal Venture, which came back online in November, increased solar and wind production, and reduced energy use owing to pandemic lockdown. Although energy production and use fell to historically low levels, the cost of energy remains one of the highest in the US, and resumed its up-trend in November 2020. Residential electricity rates (HELCO Schedule-R) on the Big Island are now slightly above 32c, after falling to 28c in June. Commercial rates (Schedule-J) meanwhile, are now 26c, up from 22c in June. A rooftop solar system, including batteries, on an average family home, will pay for itself through utility savings within 6 or 7 years. Source: https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2021/02/16/hawaii-island-at-43-4-percent-renewable-energy/

Hawaii homeowners are embracing rooftop solar, and the financial benefits it brings, at a record pace.  Despite the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawaii’s rooftop solar increased by 55% versus 2019, according to Hawaiian Electric. Hawaii homeowner’s commitment to solar is stronger than ever. With the extension of the 26% federal tax credit in 2021 and 2022, demand for rooftop solar is set to power forward. Like all Hawaii’s solar companies, Rising Sun is busier than ever but commits to its customers to start the installation within 90 days of a signed contract.  It’s going to be another very busy year, so if you want to get your project installed in 2021, and receive your tax credits this year, we recommend that you sign-up right away! Source: https://mauinow.com/2021/01/26/hawaii-rooftop-solar-installations-up-55-despite-pandemic/ Explore your solar proposal today Our dedicated sales team has literally worked on thousands of home solar proposals.It is… Read More »Hawaii rooftop solar grows 55% despite lockdown

There is excellent news for solar this festive season! The Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for solar has been extended  as part of the COVID-19 Stimulus Bill, signed into law by the President on December 27th 2020. US federal tax payers who purchase and install a solar system in 2021 and 2022 will now be eligible for a 26% income tax credit.  The credit had been scheduled to drop to 22% in 2021. The 22% credit is now pushed back to 2023. The solar tax credit extension means that customers can continue to benefit from the generous incentive to lower the cost of their solar and battery system significantly. Used together with the Hawaii state tax credit (35% for Hawaii residents and 24.5% for non-residents), the 26% ITC can lower the total cost of a solar system by 50% or more.   2021 installation tax credit example: 8KWDC + 1 Tesla Powerwall… Read More »The Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for solar has been extended!

Now for Hawaii Solar Programs in 2018 ‘Controllable Customer Grid Supply’ CGS+ and ‘Smart Export’

Original Article How to check if you will get approved The Hawaiian Electric Companies (HEI) will close the Customer Grid-Supply (CGS) programs that credit home solar customers for the excess electricity they send to the grid this Saturday, October 21st.  As of October 10th, the program had the following capacity remaining for rooftop solar. The main benefit of the CGS program is the customer’s ability to receive financial credit for selling excess solar energy back to the utility grid. The current prices being offered for your exported solar energy by the various utilities are as follows. The utility companies are expected to announce new, lower prices for CGS exported energy in the next few weeks. Of course, there are hundreds of CGS applications are already in line for processing. Please check where you are in the line: How do I check the status of my application? You can call or email… Read More »Update: Grid Supply does not end Saturday

Those white blocks are a few of the 272 battery packs that store and deliver 52 megawatt-hours of solar energy to the island of Kauai, as the sun goes down each day. The facility will generate about 10% of the island’s energy need, and will immediately reduce fossil-fuel usage by about 1.6 million gallons per year. As recently as 2014, Kauai generated 90% of its energy by burning fossil fuels. By 2016, KIUC has driven that down to 50%. The island, its people and leaders are straight up pioneers in the history of renewable energy. The project is the largest of its kind in the world. But they are more than that. KIUC is owned by its 24,000 customers. It is a working model of successful decentralization. A shining beacon of deliberative democracy and economic planning. Kumu Sabra Kauka officiates at the blessing of the Tesla battery storage facility, Wednesday… Read More »Meanwhile on Kauai, a sea of solar energy