HECO proposes $205M in upgrades to its grid

Hawaiian Electric Co. submitted a draft of plans Friday with state regulators to make $205 million in upgrades to its grid over the next six years.

In the filing submitted to the state Public Utilities Commission, HECO said it plans to add sensors, automated control systems and upgraded inverters as well as smart meters in specific neighborhoods where there are high numbers of private rooftop solar systems.

HECO said these upgrades will increase reliability of service as well as help add more solar onto the grids across its three service territories.

“Our grids were originally designed for one-way flow of electricity to customers from a handful of power plants,” said Colton Ching, senior vice president for planning and technology, in a prepared statement. “We can use advanced technology to transform these grids for two-way power flow from nearly 80,000 privately owned rooftop solar systems today and tens of thousands more in the future, along with thousands of energy storage systems that will be part of our grids by 2045.”

The plan comes after the PUC sent the electrical utility back to the drawing board in January for its original $340 million plan to roll out a smart grid statewide. The PUC ordered HECO to submit a new detailed grid modernization strategy for each of its three utilities no later than Friday.

In the January order the PUC said it was concerned about the cost of the plan and lack of details. The smart-grid plan HECO filed in March 2016 includes a wireless communication network, smart meters and enhanced technology that would upgrade the existing electric grid to be more automated and energy-efficient.

In Friday’s draft the utility said it plans to use storage and advanced inverters as well as incorporate different energy management tools, such as demand response. Demand response programs encourage customers to use electricity when more renewable energy is on the grid.

In the filing, HECO said the inverters would allow more residents to install rooftop solar and that the upgraded network would give system operators greater ability to understand what is happening with rooftop solar systems at customers’ homes.

The Friday draft is different from the original plan, as it only targets specific neighborhoods. Customers will be able to attend public meetings to voice concerns about the plans.

HECO said the company plans to hold public meetings about its plan starting in July. After hearing from the public and members of the state’s energy community, HECO said, the final version of the plan will be submitted to the PUC at the end of August.

Public comments on the plan can be submitted to gridmod@hawaiianelectric.com until Aug. 9.