Kihei Mauka Solar

Benefit of the Project that Clearway will share with the community include:

• Providing a Kihei Mauka Community Benefit Fund of $120,000 annual that will be managed by a local non-profit organization with a Board or allocation committee thoughtfully appointed with input from local community members and landowner Haleakala Ranch, and with funds to be spent on local projects, donated to local non-profits, and directed by the community;
• Providing workforce development opportunities in the solar energy space, working with partners such as Pacific Resource Partnership (PRP);
• Commitment to offering Blue Planet Foundation’s clean energy curriculum to schools in the identified Host Community, with funding for greater outreach by Blue Planet Foundation to Kihei communities.
•  The project will require roughly 150 direct construction jobs and many other indirect local jobs at various stages of development and operations of the project. Clearway is committed to hiring 100% union and prevailing wage labor, and focusing on hiring of Maui residents prior to hiring across the State and on the mainland.
•  Providing a fixed price of power for 20 years contributing to reduced rate volatility;
• Providing clean power to the Maui grid at half the price of fossil fuels.
• Contributing to Hawaii’s clean energy future by increasing Maui Electric’s renewable portfolio progress towards 100% by 2045;
• Producing no pollution or greenhouse gas emissions
• Providing enough clean energy to power over 5,000 homes
• Contributing to Maui and Hawaii’s energy independence by offsetting fossil fuel usage
• Providing battery energy storage that provides resiliency to the grid and allows the projects to continue providing solar energy to the grid after the sun goes down when loads peak 

Low Cost Renewables

The price per kWh offered by the project is lower than MECO’s avoided cost of generating electricity via fossil fuels or its current energy mix, which will result in lower ratepayer bills over time. Additionally these prices are fixed for the 20-year life of the PPA, which protects ratepayers from some of the volatility of fossil fuel prices as Hawaii reduces its dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Community Benefit Fund

The Community Benefit Package and the Community Engagement and Outreach Plan go hand-in-hand. Community consultation and input will inform the defined Host Community needs, and the structure of the final Community Benefit Package.

As part of the Community Benefit Package, Clearway is committed to funding at least $120,000 per year for the Kihei Mauka Solar Community Benefit Fund. Clearway is committed at the $3,000 per MW AC level, in addition to other in-kind contributions to the community including local workforce development.

Kihei Mauka Community Benefit Fund Administration

At present, Clearway plans for the Kihei Mauka Community Benefit Funds to be administered by a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit created by Clearway, with a Board or allocation committee thoughtfully appointed with input from the County and local associations. Funds will be spent on local community improvement projects, donated to local non-profits with community benefits, and directed by the community to selected proposals for community projects; with a focus on education, community empowerment, community improvement projects and workforce development. Other projects to be considered could include infrastructure improvements, enhanced educational opportunities, jobs and job training, historical and/or cultural protection, neighborhood beautification, and any other similar community benefit.

Clearway has delivered on similar community benefit funds in other communities across the country, with one particularly relevant example in West Virginia.