Hawaiian Electric issued a Community-Based Renewable Energy (CBRE) Program Phase 2 Request for Proposal (RFP) for Molokai on November 22, 2021 at 4 pm HST. This RFP seeks proposals for variable renewable dispatchable generation paired with energy storage projects. The CBRE program, also referred to as Shared Solar, provides a mechanism for participating subscribers without privately-owned rooftop solar to benefit from electricity generated by renewable energy facilities located within their utility service territory. The RFP was issued in accordance with Public Utilities Commission Order No. 38038 (issued October 25, 2021) and Order No. 38074 (issued November 18, 2021) in CBRE docket 2015-0389.
Key dates include the original bid submission deadline of February 15, 2022, which was extended to March 1, 2022 following a Commission-approved request. A technical training session for contract review was conducted on December 8, 2021, with recording available. A proposer's conference webinar was held for prospective bidders. Site visits were offered on December 17, 2019 at the Company's Palaau site from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. HST.
Proposers must submit bids electronically via the PowerAdvocate platform. PowerAdvocate technical support is available from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Eastern Time (3:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. HST) Monday through Friday via phone at (857) 453-5800 or email at support@poweradvocate.com. All questions and comments regarding the RFP should be directed to CBRERFP@hawaiianelectric.com.
On August 24, 2022, Hawaiian Electric concluded the Molokai CBRE RFP without selecting a Final Award Group awardee. On September 9, 2022, the Company requested the PUC close the RFP and work directly with the sole bidder, Hoahu Energy Cooperative Molokai. Subsequently, on January 11, 2023, Hawaiian Electric and Hoahu submitted a joint letter to the PUC outlining agreed contract terms for two projects: the Palaau project (up to 2.2 MW solar with 10.1 MWh battery storage) and the Kualapuu project (up to 0.25 MW solar with 1 MWh battery storage).