HI · Solar + Battery

Solar + battery installation in Hawaii

Battery-coupled solar is the package that closes most often in Hawaii. Federal Clean Tech ITC (30%) on storage stacks with state net metering. Free quote, ~2 minutes.

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6 kW
Average system size
$4.20/W
Average cost (USD)
6 yrs
Average payback
90+
Local installers

Why solar in Hawaii

Hawaii pays the highest electricity prices in the United States and has not offered net metering to new customers for over a decade, and understanding how those two facts sit together is most of what you need before you get quotes. Hawaiian Electric 2025 average residential prices ran 40.54 cents per kWh on Oahu, 41.58 on Maui, 45.81 on Hawaii Island, 48.48 on Molokai and 50.02 on Lanai, which is why a system that would be marginal on the mainland is straightforward arithmetic here. What has changed is the value of exporting. Customer Grid-Supply, Customer Grid-Supply Plus, Smart Export, Customer Self-Supply and the Standard Interconnection Agreement are all closed to new customers, and new rooftop projects go onto Smart Renewable Energy Export or Non-Export instead. The state RETITC under HRS Section 235-12.5 remains at 35 percent of actual cost capped at $5,000 per system, and it matters more than it used to, because the 30 percent federal Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D expired for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.

Incentives & rebates

Net metering: Smart Renewable Energy Export / Non-Export (no NEM)

Hawaii does not offer net metering to new customers and has not for years. The programmes that replaced it have themselves been retired: Customer Grid-Supply, Customer Grid-Supply Plus, Smart Export, Customer Self-Supply and the Standard Interconnection Agreement are all closed to new enrolment. New rooftop projects go onto one of two Smart Renewable Energy tracks. The Export track provides export bill credits, is open to all renewable technologies and carries no project size limit. The Non-Export track also allows all technologies and project sizes but does not permit export to the grid at all, which makes on-site consumption and storage the whole of the value. Existing Customer Grid-Supply Plus and Smart Export customers transition to Smart Renewable Energy Export after seven years in their current programme, with the earliest transitions having begun on October 1, 2024, and Hawaiian Electric performs the switch automatically. Customer Self-Supply customers are not required to move, but may elect to, in which case they go onto the non-export track. Because the export value is the variable that has moved most, ask any installer which track your project is being designed for and what export compensation the savings model assumes.

Related Hawaii resources

Battery + Storage

Why solar + battery in Hawaii

Hawaii pays the highest electricity prices in the United States and has not offered net metering to new customers for over a decade, and understanding how those two facts sit together is most of what you need before you get quotes. Hawaiian Electric 2025 average residential prices ran 40.54 cents per kWh on Oahu, 41.58 on Maui, 45.81 on Hawaii Island, 48.48 on Molokai and 50.02 on Lanai, which is why a system that would be marginal on the mainland is straightforward arithmetic here. What has changed is the value of exporting. Customer Grid-Supply, Customer Grid-Supply Plus, Smart Export, Customer Self-Supply and the Standard Interconnection Agreement are all closed to new customers, and new rooftop projects go onto Smart Renewable Energy Export or Non-Export instead. The state RETITC under HRS Section 235-12.5 remains at 35 percent of actual cost capped at $5,000 per system, and it matters more than it used to, because the 30 percent federal Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D expired for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.

✓ Federal Clean Tech ITC 30% on storage ✓ Outage resilience

Start your Hawaii quote

Tell us where your home is and we will match you with a vetted local installer.

How payback works in Hawaii

System cost
$25,200
Estimated net cost
$25,200
Estimated payback
~15.6 years
25-year net savings
~$15,300

These figures are illustrative; your actual quote reflects your roof, sun exposure, and local utility rates.

Cities we serve in Hawaii

9cities with vetted local solar + battery installers.

Frequently asked questions

How much do solar panels cost in Hawaii?
Hawaii solar averages roughly $4.20 per watt installed, above the mainland, because equipment and labour both cost more on an island. The offsetting factor is the electricity price: Hawaiian Electric 2025 residential averages ran from 40.54 cents per kWh on Oahu to 50.02 on Lanai, so each kilowatt hour you stop buying is worth two to three times what it would be on the mainland.
What incentives are available in Hawaii?
The state RETITC under HRS Section 235-12.5 gives 35 percent of actual cost capped at $5,000 per system, where a residential photovoltaic system is defined as 5 kW of total output capacity, so a larger array can be more than one system. Hawaiian Electric Bring Your Own Device Plus pays $400 per kW of committed battery capacity with no maximum cap, doubled for low and moderate income households. The 30 percent federal Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D expired for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
Is solar worth it in Hawaii?
For most homes with a usable roof, yes, and the reason is the electricity price rather than any incentive. The two things to settle early are which Smart Renewable Energy track your project is on, since the Non-Export track means no export compensation at all, and whether a battery is in the design, because on an island grid the value of storage is unusually high and BYOD+ pays toward it.