- The US Navy has conducted an environmental assessment to install renewable energy projects on site at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
- It proposes to lease land to develop a biofuel powered FRG system and a solar project
- The solar plant is proposed to have 6 MW installed capacity, and accompanied by a 6 MW/24 MWh BESS facility
- It sees renewable energy as contributing to the naval base’s energy security and resilience
The US Navy is looking at biofuel-powered firm renewable energy generation (FRG) and solar PV technologies to address its critical energy security gaps and provide energy resiliency to the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JPPHH) base in the event of a grid outage.
It has opened a public consultation for a draft environmental assessment for the projects planned on 2 sites on a combined 25 acres of land at Oahu, Hawaii that it plans to lease for the purpose for up to 37 years. Both the sites need to host lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS).
For solar, the plan is to install a 6 MW PV project accompanied by a 6 MW/24 MWh BESS facility on some 15 acres. It will comprise close to 10,950 modules. Construction is planned to start in December 2024 and complete by October 2026.
Both these sites will end up demolishing 3 historic properties and reuse 6 of them on the eastern shore of Pearl Harbor, according to the authorities.
The US Navy aims for these projects to generate and store renewable energy on site to improve the energy security, strategic flexibility and energy resilience of the JBPHH.
Power generated will be connected to the HECO power grid and will serve as backup energy for the utility to improve energy resilience on the base.
Public comments on the draft environmental assessment plan, launched on April 3, 2024 and available on US Navy’s website, will be accepted for a period of 30 days, ending on May 2, 2024.
