Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/02/05) */ We appreciate the opportunity to respond to Mr [redacted] complaint regarding the delay in approving his photovoltaic (PV) system On Sept6, 2013, Hawaiian Electric announced new procedures due to the potential safety and reliability risks posed by the rapid growth of PV integration levels on some of O`ahu's circuitsCustomers are asked to wait to interconnect their PV systems until we have approved their net energy metering (NEM) agreement, an approval which occurs after an engineering safety review is completed As part of the transition to the new procedures, we grandfathered customers who had already submitted NEM agreements on or before Sept6, Because Mr [redacted] NEM agreement was submitted after Sept6, 2013, he did not qualify for being exempt or "grandfathered" from the new procedures However, since he entered into a binding contract or financial obligation for the PV system by Sept9, and submitted his NEM agreement by Oct31, 2013, Mr [redacted] qualifies for a "transition plan," under which we will pay for any devices or upgrade costs that may be required in order for his system to be approved for safe interconnection On Jan14, 2014, we sent Mr [redacted] a letter indicating that further measurements are needed on his circuit to identify potentially unsafe reverse power flow conditionsThese results are expected by mid-March Based on those results, we can determine what mitigation measures may be needed in order to safely interconnect his systemAgain, the cost of any devices or upgrades identified as necessary would be paid for by Hawaiian Electric In the meantime, his solar contractor has acknowledged that they acted prematurely in interconnecting the system, agreed to turn off the PV system to avoid any safety issues, and assured us that they would compensate Mr [redacted] for lost power productionUntil the safety review is completed and any identified safety measures are installed, we hope that this compensation satisfies his concerns Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2014/02/08) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/02/05) */ We appreciate the opportunity to respond to Mr [redacted] complaint regarding the delay in approving his photovoltaic (PV) system On Sept6, 2013, Hawaiian Electric announced new procedures due to the potential safety and reliability risks posed by the rapid growth of PV integration levels on some of O`ahu's circuitsCustomers are asked to wait to interconnect their PV systems until we have approved their net energy metering (NEM) agreement, an approval which occurs after an engineering safety review is completed As part of the transition to the new procedures, we grandfathered customers who had already submitted NEM agreements on or before Sept6, Because Mr [redacted] NEM agreement was submitted after Sept6, 2013, he did not qualify for being exempt or "grandfathered" from the new procedures However, since he entered into a binding contract or financial obligation for the PV system by Sept9, and submitted his NEM agreement by Oct31, 2013, Mr [redacted] qualifies for a "transition plan," under which we will pay for any devices or upgrade costs that may be required in order for his system to be approved for safe interconnection On Jan14, 2014, we sent Mr [redacted] a letter indicating that further measurements are needed on his circuit to identify potentially unsafe reverse power flow conditionsThese results are expected by mid-March Based on those results, we can determine what mitigation measures may be needed in order to safely interconnect his systemAgain, the cost of any devices or upgrades identified as necessary would be paid for by Hawaiian Electric In the meantime, his solar contractor has acknowledged that they acted prematurely in interconnecting the system, agreed to turn off the PV system to avoid any safety issues, and assured us that they would compensate Mr [redacted] for lost power productionUntil the safety review is completed and any identified safety measures are installed, we hope that this compensation satisfies his concerns Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2014/02/08) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)