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COURTESY HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC / JULY 2014
A rooftop PV solar system is installed on home.
Hawaiian Electric Co. customers can keep an eye on the progress of their renewable energy projects with an online tool the utility launched Friday.
The "Integrated Interconnection Queues" for each company, HECO, Maui Electric Co. and Hawaii Electric Light Co., gives both customers and developers access to see the status and progress of projects from rooftop solar up to utility-scale wind and solar projects, said HECO in a press release.
The IQQ will give customers a breakdown of their own application’s status at every stage of the interconnection process and compare their own project to others proposed on the circuit in their neighborhood.
"Hawaii is experiencing unprecedented growth in rooftop solar and utility-scale solar, wind and other renewable generation," said Jim Alberts, senior vice president of customer service at HECO. "We know we need an improved interconnection process – we owe it to our customers. The goal for this Integrated Interconnection Queues is to provide fair and equitable treatment for all non-utility energy providers, including homeowners and developers."
According to HECO, information will be updated monthly. Before the launch of the tool, customers had no way to know where they stood in line.
