HECO approves 2,000 rooftop solar systems

The Public Utilities Commission praised Hawaiian Electric Co. on Monday after the utility said it approved almost 2,000 pending rooftop solar systems in March.

HECO approved 1,987 solar system applications on Oahu during March, the utility said in a March 31 filing with the PUC.

In February, PUC Chairman Randy Iwase and HECO CEO Alan Oshima signed an agreement that said HECO has a "duty" to approve solar systems.

"I’m glad Mr. Oshima and HECO are achieving the goals, spirit and intent that we set forth in our letter of Feb. 27," Iwase said.

The utility promised last year it would clear a backlog of 2,749 rooftop solar systems waiting in October for approval, saying most would be approved by April and the rest by the end of 2015.

The utility said as of the end of March, it had approved 2,543 of the pending Oahu applications.

Applications started piling up last year after HECO was slow to approve systems in areas that already had a large number of rooftop solar systems. HECO said the delay was due to concerns about safety and the stability of the grid if more solar was added in those areas.

The utility said in March that all Maui Electric and Hawaii Electric Light customers who had been waiting since October had been approved. There were 333 applications on Maui and 336 on Hawaii island.