Bill > SB587

This bill establishes a streamlined interconnection process for "grid-ready homes" in Hawaii, which are residential properties equipped with clean electrification technologies like electric vehicle chargers, heat pumps, solar panels, and battery systems. By January 1, 2026, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) must create a new interconnection process that includes a simplified notification and approval system for distributed energy resources, a $350 cost-sharing fee for service upgrades, a two-week processing requirement for interconnection requests, provisions for managed power export and import, virtual commissioning protocols, and requirements for utilities to update their interconnection rules to support vehicle-to-grid technologies. The bill also allows the Hawaii Electricity Reliability Administrator to recover costs related to implementing this process through the existing electricity reliability surcharge and requires annual reporting on the process's effectiveness, including metrics like the number of customers served, interconnection timelines, fees collected, and infrastructure upgrades avoided. This legislation is part of Hawaii's broader commitment to achieving a 100% renewable portfolio standard by 2045 and aims to make clean energy technology adoption more accessible and efficient for residential customers.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=587&year=2026