Hawaiian Electric's Battery Bonus program, which pays a cash incentive and bill credits to customers who add battery storage to their rooftop solar systems, has reached its maximum capacity of 40 megawatts (MW) on Oahu, and no new applications are being processed at this time. A successor incentive program to Battery Bonus known as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) will be available to Hawaiian Electric customers starting March 1, 2024.
Although Battery Bonus is closed on Oahu the program will continue to be available to customers on Maui until June 30, 2024, or a cap of 15 MW is reached, whichever comes first. Customers on all islands served by Hawaiian Electric will be eligible to enroll in BYOD, which offers incentives for adding battery storage to new or existing solar systems.
Both Battery Bonus and BYOD make it easier for customers to add energy storage to their solar systems while strengthening the resilience of the electric grid serving all customers. More energy storage will be needed on the grid as Hawaiian Electric continues to replace fossil fuel generation with renewable energy resources.
"Thanks to solid customer response Battery Bonus was able to meet its goal of adding critical energy storage to Oahu's grid," said Lani Shinsato, Hawaiian Electric Customer Energy Resources co-director. "As we move forward with BYOD customers can continue to receive incentives for providing grid services while playing a key role in Hawaii's clean energy transition."
The launch of BYOD is aligned with Hawaiian Electric's transition to a new streamlined structure for its customer energy resource programs. This transition includes the shift to a new Smart DER (distributed energy resources) program from the company's current suite of rooftop solar programs. BYOD is an advanced, supplemental tariff that customers participating in Smart DER or an existing rooftop solar program may enroll in to provide additional grid services to Hawaiian Electric in return for compensation.
In addition to BYOD and Battery Bonus, Hawaiian Electric customers also have the option of participating in incentive programs operated in conjunction with independent companies under contract with the utility. The Power Partnership Programs, available across Hawaiian Electric's service territory, rewards customers who allow their devices such as solar systems, battery systems and grid-enabled water heaters to support the grid. More information is available at Customer Incentive Programs.
The BYOD program has three options:
- Level 1 rider requiring customers to send a promised amount of power to the grid for two consecutive hours each day.
- Level 2 rider requiring customers to respond to utility-determined events by sending a promised amount of power to the grid for a one-hour period.
- Level 3 rider requiring customers to respond to utility-determined events by sending to or receiving from the grid promised amounts of power for up to two consecutive hours.
Enrollment in BYOD provides customers up to three incentives: a one-time upfront payment, a monthly incentive, and credits for controlled energy exports during a defined period called a "BYOD event."
The upfront incentive provides $100 for each kilowatt (kW) of capacity that the customer commits to making available during BYOD events. The upfront incentive is capped at $500 per customer and $1,000 for customers with low- and moderate-incomes.
The monthly capacity performance incentive provides $5 per kW of commitment capacity for the Level 1 and Level 2 riders and $10 per kW of commitment capacity for the Level 3 rider, based on a customer's average performance during BYOD events.
Customers on the Level 1, 2, or 3 riders may also earn credits for controlled energy exports during BYOD events equal to the Smart DER Tariff Export Rider's evening peak export rate, regardless of the time of export.
