State energy office, KIUC receive federal support for innovative technology development projects

Two technology demonstration projects proposed by the Hawai‘i State Energy Office in partnership with Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative will receive more than $17.9 million in funding through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program.

Both projects leverage existing power generation equipment with new technology to expand dispatchable renewable energy and support reliable island grid operation among other benefits. Together these solutions will enable KIUC to achieve its goal of 100% renewable energy within the next 10 years.

“Kaua‘i is proving that transitioning to locally produced renewable energy alleviates the energy burden for families and businesses by reducing extreme price volatility,” said Governor Josh Green. “We are grateful to the Biden Administration for supporting these projects, which we believe will showcase how these technologies can achieve similar benefits on other islands.”

The projects are scheduled to begin in early 2024 with an estimated completion date in mid-2025. About the projects:

The Utility Solar Grid Forming Technology and Synchronous Condenser Conversion Technology demonstration projects will be funded in part through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Grid Innovation Program of the Grid Deployment Office, Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.

Utility Solar Grid Forming Technology

The GRIP program will provide half of the total cost-shared project estimated at $32.5 million, with KIUC contributing the other half of the total project cost.

The Utility Solar Grid Forming Technology project involves an innovative technology application that demonstrates a technological solution for expanded renewables dispatch and reliable
island grid operation. The project adds battery storage and advanced grid forming inverters to two existing solar power plants.

This will create a hybrid power supply with enhanced dispatchability, greater resource availability, and will provide important ancillary services including frequency regulation, reactive power and voltage control, and operating reserves. The grid regulation service will provide significant regional and community benefit by furthering the capability of the system to accommodate 100% dispatch of renewable generation sources and provide a more reliable and resilient island grid.

Synchronous Condenser Conversion Technology

The GRIP program will provide half of the cost-shared project of $3.35 million, with KIUC contributing of the remaining half of the total project cost.

This innovative project adds grid-forming capability to an existing generator at the Port Allen power station to accommodate stable operation of high penetration distributed variable renewable generation on the Kaua‘i electric grid.

The project will provide significant regional and community benefits by reducing the likelihood and consequence of disruptive events to the grid, and provide a reference case for duplication of the conversion technology by others. This novel use of grid-forming technology in a grid of this size will demonstrate a replicable solution for local, regional, and interregional grid enhancement and decarbonization.