Hawaiian Electric selects Ameresco to develop renewable energy project

Hawaiian Electric, based in Kahului, Hawaii, has selected Ameresco Inc., a Massachusetts-based cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, to develop a proposed firm renewable energy project on Maui, Hawaii, Spectrum Local News reports.

Ameresco’s proposed 40-megawatt biofuel-powered generator is expected to move the state closer to its clean energy goals while adding a reliable source of power, according to a news release. As opposed to variable resources such as solar and wind, firm resources such as biofuel—liquid fuels produced by renewable biological sources, including plants and algae—are available at all times.

The proposed project is part of the company’s latest phase of clean energy procurements aimed at reducing the state’s dependence on imported oil for power generation, according to the release. 

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The facility will be built on property owned by Hawaiian Electric located near the Central Maui Landfill – Refuse and Recycling Center. The project is part of a recent round of clean energy procurements that includes 16 firm and variable renewable energy projects on Maui, Hawaii Island and Oahu. Three solar-plus-storage projects and a wind project were also selected for Maui.

Hawaii Electric will begin contract negotiations with project developers selected for these projects, and once contracts are finalized, according to the release, the company will submit contracts to the Public Utilities Commission for review and approval.