Enphase’s data and grid visibility provide Hawaiian Electric with tools to accelerate solar deployment for its customers
PETALUMA, Calif. and HONOLULU-April 14, 2015-Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH), announced today that the company has collaborated with Hawaiian Electric Company to clear the backlog of solar customers awaiting interconnection on the island of Oahu.
After making a commitment in October 2014 to clear 90 percent of the interconnection backlog by April 2015, Hawaiian Electric sought out Enphase’s technical assistance to get a highly detailed analysis of grid conditions in every neighborhood across the island. Approximately 25,000 Enphase® systems have been installed on Oahu and represent approximately 70 percent of all PV system production on the island. The Enphase PV systems are able to report high-granularity voltage and frequency data, providing a highly detailed view of events of grid instability. The two companies used this PV production data to create statistically rich “heat maps” that supported the initial technical reviews by Hawaiian Electric’s engineers. Utilizing the data-rich analysis provided by Enphase helped Hawaiian Electric meet its commitment to release approximately 4,000 PV systems, or over 20MW, of solar interconnections.
“Leveraging Enphase’s smart microinverters, and our data communications technology to clear Oahu’s interconnection queue exemplifies the innovative thinking that Hawaiian Electric is applying to accommodate higher levels of solar penetration,” said Paul Nahi, president and CEO of Enphase. “Our collaboration shows that solar technology companies and utilities can and must work together to the benefit of ratepayers while making the large-scale grid integration of solar a reality.”
