The Department of the Navy and Hawaiian Electric Company announced plans today to build a 28 megawatt direct current solar facility at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH), West Loch Annex in Honolulu.

The agreement was commemorated during a celebratory lease-signing event on JBPHH.

Notable ceremony presenters and attendees included the Honorable Dennis V. McGinn, assistant secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations & Environment; the Honorable David Y. Ige, Governor of Hawaii; Rear Adm. John V. Fuller, commander, Navy Region Hawaii and commander, Naval Surface Group, Middle Pacific; Rear Adm. John W. Korka, Pacific Fleet civil engineer and commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific; Alan M. Oshima, president and CEO, Hawaiian Electric; Luis P. Salaveria, director of the State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism; and Col. Richard L. Smith, deputy commander, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

"The Department of the Navy and the State of Hawaii made a commitment to enhancing the resiliency of the state's electric grid and our installations through expanding renewable energy in the state," said McGinn. "To this end, we are partnering with organizations like Hawaiian Electric Company that can develop high-quality solar facilities to achieve all of our goals. This project is the epitome of a win-win-win for the Department of the Navy, for Hawaiian Electric, and for the State of Hawaii."

"The State of Hawaii is working toward 100 percent renewables powering the state," said Ige. "Every additional renewable energy project helps move us closer to that goal. Together with the Department of the Navy and Hawaiian Electric, we have made another significant step forward today."

"This project represents a significant step in our journey towards 100 percent renewable energy," said Oshima. "This is another example of the value of our partnership with Navy to strengthen our grid and provide energy security for our state."

Pending approval from the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, Hawaiian Electric will build, own, operate and maintain the solar facility at JBPHH. In exchange for the land needed for the project, JBPHH will receive in-kind consideration in the form of electrical infrastructure upgrades to Navy-owned base infrastructure. The renewable energy generated by the solar facility will feed into the island's electric grid and will serve all customers on Oahu, including JBPHH.

This event follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the DON and the state last month, coordinating goals and strengthening the partnership between both organizations in the pursuit of additional renewable energy in the state of Hawaii.

The Navy has always been a leader in energy innovation, and deployment of renewable energy on DON installations continues to strengthen the DON's warfighting capabilities. The next step for the DON will be exploring the next level of energy technology advances such as battery storage, electrification, fuel cells and microgrids to further enhance the DON's energy security, operational capability, strategic flexibility and resource availability.