Hawaii

Plus Power's 565MWh 'shock absorber' BESS in Hawaii comes online

Published

2 years ago

January 11, 2024

Plus Power's 565MWh 'shock absorber' BESS in Hawaii comes online

It comprises 158 Tesla Megapacks configured into 135MW/540MWh for capacity and energy use cases and another 50MW/25MWh of additional capacity for ‘fast frequency response’ to help keep the grid stable.

Brandon Keefe, Plus Power’s executive chairman claimed: “It is the first time a battery has been used by a major utility to balance the grid: providing fast frequency response, synthetic inertia, and black start. This project is a postcard from the future – batteries will soon be providing these services, at scale, on the mainland.” 

The announcement said it will be acting “…as an electrical “shock absorber” (a function) often served by combustion-powered peaker plants”.

Another major energy storage project which has been described as such a “shock absorber” is the 850MW/1680MWh Waratah Super Battery in Australia which is being deployed by system integrator Powin.

KES, Hawaii’s biggest energy storage project, was approved in May 2021 and financing for it was achieved by Plus Power six months later.

Customer-sited solar power has become so abundant that Hawaiian Electric, the main utility in Hawaii, needs to regularly curtail – i.e. pay owners to turn off – utility-scale solar and wind to keep the electricity system in balance. 

The utility’s modelling has forecast that thanks to the KES project it will be able to reduce curtailment of renewables by 69% over the first five years of operation, integrate 10% more new utility-scale renewables than previously modelled, and allow for continued growth in customer-sited solar. It is also expected to reduce consumer electric bills by an average of US$0.28 per month over its 20-year contract life.

The utility has been busy progressing the US island state’s clean energy and energy storage development goals, starting negotiations with 2.1GWh of energy storage projects in December 2023 and in May unveiling a long-term renewables plan which included adding add more than 3.7GW of hybrid solar, energy storage and firm renewables by 2030.

Plus Power said that by June 2024 it will have some 1,325MW/3,500MWh of energy storage online across the US, including projects which were part of a US$1.8 billion fundraise it concluded in November, the largest seen in energy storage in 2023.

Energy-Storage.news’ publisher Solar Media will host the 5th Energy Storage Summit USA, 19-20 March 2024 in Austin, Texas. Featuring a packed programme of panels, presentations and fireside chats from industry leaders focusing on accelerating the market for energy storage across the country. For more information, go to the website.

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Hawaii

Walk-off win clinches series for Hawaii baseball team | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Published

9 hours ago

February 17, 2026

Press Room

Walk-off win clinches series for Hawaii baseball team | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Elijah Ickes sprinted home on a wild pitch in the ninth inning to deliver the Hawaii baseball team a 4-3 victory over Gonzaga today at Les Murakami Stadium.

Down 3-2 in the ninth, Tate Shimao hit a one-out single to right field. Ickes followed with single to left.

The Bulldogs brought in Frank Willius, a 6-foot-4 left-hander, to face left-swinging Ben Zeigler-Namoa.

“We were expecting him the whole weekend,” Zeigler-Namoa said. “I saw (videos of Willius) multiple times. I was ready to hit. I was ready to hit the whole weekend. I got my pitch, and hit it up the middle.”

Zeigler-Namoa’s grounder eluded the reach of second baseman Hudson Shupe as Shimao raced home with the tying run and Ickes dived safely into third base.

Willius’ first pitch to Jake Redding bounced past catcher Luca DiPaolo and Ickes scored the winning run.

“Coach (Rich Hill) told me to look for the passed ball,” Ickes said, “and it was the first pitch, and the rest is history.”

UH won three of four to claim the season-opening series.

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Hawaii

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts – video

Published

21 hours ago

February 16, 2026

Press Room

The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupted on Sunday, sending lava fountains, ash and smoke into the air. The US Geological Survey said it was the 42nd episode of lava fountains since the current series of intermittent eruptions began in December 2024. The plume from the latest eruption reached more than 10,000 metres (35,000 feet), according to the National Weather Service

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Hawaii

Public safety power shutoff watch: Hawaiian Electric monitoring wildfire risk conditions this week | Big Island Now

Published

1 day ago

February 16, 2026

Press Room

Public safety power shutoff watch: Hawaiian Electric monitoring wildfire risk conditions this week | Big Island Now

February 15, 2026, 7:08 PM HST

Hawaiian Electric is monitoring developing weather conditions likely to lead to an increased risk of wildfires in parts of Maui County and Hawaiʻi Island later this week.

Photo File: Courtesy Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization website

Customers in these areas are urged to initiate their own emergency plans should a public safety power shutoff need to be initiated, including preparations for the possibility of extended power outages Monday through Thursday (Feb. 16-19).

The National Weather Service forecast office in Honolulu reported just after 3:30 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 15) in its fire weather planning forecast that strong high pressure far north of the islands will sink southward and weaken some during the next couple of days.

This will maintain breezy trades for much of the week.

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Showers riding in on the trades will be focused over windward and mauka areas. However with the breezy trades, some showers will reach leeward areas at times.

Proactive power shutoffs are one way Hawaiian Electric can help prevent wildfires when there is windy weather, low humidity and dry vegetation near Hawaiian Electric equipment, which is the case in areas such as West Maui and South Kohala on Hawaiʻi Island.

These conditions could lead to damaged powerlines or debris being blown into powerlines, which increases the risk of a fire starting.

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Hawaiian Electric will keep the public informed by deploying its message broadcast system to customers in high risk areas should weather conditions intensify.

News releases and regular social media postings will also be used to provide updates and information.

Call Hawaiian Electric’s Public Safety Power Shutoff Hotline toll-free at 1-844-483-8666 or visit the Hawaiian Electric website for additional information, maps of public safety power shutoff areas and more.