Updated as of October 22, 2026 · Reviewed by Bruce Ekimura, Founder and President
Alternate Energy Hawaii is a Hawaii solar company based in Pearl City, serving Honolulu since 1993.
Alternate Energy Hawaii has installed solar for Honolulu homes since 1993, from our Pearl City office. A typical Honolulu system averages about $27,400 before incentives as of October 2026. Before you sign, check three things: your circuit on Hawaiian Electric's map, your roof, and whether you own the roof or share it with an association.
Honolulu has many solar companies. The difference shows up after the sale: who handles your Hawaiian Electric paperwork, who answers when a panel stops reporting, and whether that company will still be here in ten years.
We design and install with our own team from Pearl City, so the company that quotes your system is the one on your roof and the one you call later (how we work).
Tesla promoted AEI to Premier Installer in December 2023 (announcement). See Tesla Powerwall on Oʻahu.
Re-roofing, panel upgrades, solar water heating, AC and EV charging are done by the same company, so a Honolulu project that needs more than panels has one schedule (roofing).
We install across Honolulu, from Kalihi and Moanalua to Hawaiʻi Kai, and across the rest of Oʻahu. Whatever the neighborhood, the same four things decide your design: who controls the roof, the roof's age and material, shade from trees, slopes and nearby buildings, and the space left on your Hawaiian Electric circuit.
Outside Honolulu? See ʻAiea, Pearl City, Kailua, Kāneʻohe, Kapolei and Mililani.
In Honolulu, the first question is who controls the roof: you, a townhome association or a condo association.
You own the roof, so you decide. We check roof age, material and shade, the main panel, and where a battery could go. If the roof is near the end of its life, re-roof first so panels aren't removed and reinstalled later (roofing).
You may own the roof but still need the association's approval. Get its solar rules and written approval before you sign a contract, and ask us to design within them.
The roof is usually shared, so the association decides. If rooftop panels aren't an option, Hawaiian Electric's Shared Solar program lets you subscribe to output from a participating solar facility instead (Hawaiian Electric).
The roof decides how panels are mounted, how much labor the job takes and whether re-roofing should come first.
| Roof type | What it means for solar |
|---|---|
| Asphalt shingle | Check the remaining life first; you want the roof to last as long as the panels. |
| Tile | Needs careful handling and specific mounts; broken tiles must be replaced during install. |
| Metal | Often allows clamp-on mounts with fewer roof penetrations. |
| Flat or low-slope | Panels go on tilted racks, and the roof membrane must be sound first. |
We inspect the roof on the site visit and tell you in writing whether it's ready for solar.
Before you get quotes, look up your address on Hawaiian Electric's Oʻahu Locational Value Map. It shows the percentage of space still available for private rooftop solar on the primary circuit serving your area, and it's updated nightly on weekdays (Hawaiian Electric).
Under 5% available? Hawaiian Electric says circuits with less than 5% will most likely need an interconnection study, and that the local neighborhood circuit may need upgrades even when the map shows space (Hawaiian Electric). That can add time before your system is approved to operate.
The paperwork: we file your Hawaiian Electric application through its Customer Interconnection Tool, and Smart Renewable Energy customers need an advanced meter (Hawaiian Electric). On the City side, rooftop solar goes through a Solar Quick Permit on the City and County of Honolulu's HNL Build portal (Honolulu DPP).
One Honolulu customer was told their circuit was full. They went ahead, and their savings started once Hawaiian Electric approved the system. Read the Honolulu Aunty story.
| Item | Honolulu figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average price | $3.42 per watt installed; about $27,430 for the average 8.03 kW Honolulu system before incentives | EnergySage, Oct 2026 |
| Grid power | Oʻahu residential customers paid an average of 40.54¢ per kWh in 2025 | Hawaiian Electric |
| Midday export credit | 13.5¢ per kWh on Smart Renewable Energy Export, so using your own solar is worth more than exporting it | Hawaiian Electric |
| State tax credit | 35% of the PV system's cost, up to $5,000 per single-family system; Act 24 adds a yearly cap and income limits from 2027 | Act 24 |
| Federal credit | Ended for home systems placed in service after December 31, 2025 | IRS |
| Battery incentive | BYOD Plus pays $400 per kW committed for a new battery paired with solar | Hawaiian Electric |
Full price tables and three worked examples: how much solar costs in Hawaiʻi. Adding a battery: battery storage on Oʻahu.
Real AEI customers in Honolulu, in their own words on our site.
After getting several quotes, they signed with AEI at the end of December and had a 5.72 kW system with 22 Mitsubishi panels and SolarEdge inverters installed the first week of January. Their circuit was full, so the savings started once Hawaiian Electric approved the system. Read the story
After researching five solar companies, they chose AEI for an 18-panel system, installed before year-end. Their monthly bill dropped sharply, even after they added two AC units. Read the story
They replaced a solar water heater more than 30 years old in a one-day install. A brother and a nephew later bought PV systems from AEI. Read the story
More stories: customer success stories.
Compare itemized quotes on price per watt, equipment by model, production estimate and warranties. Ask who installs the system, their own crews or subcontractors, and who services it later. Check the contractor license and reviews, and make sure no quote for a home you buy still subtracts the ended 30% federal credit.
EnergySage's October 2026 data puts Honolulu at $3.42 per watt installed, or about $27,430 for the average 8.03 kW system before incentives. Hawaiʻi's 35% state credit takes off up to $5,000 per single-family system. A battery, roof work or a panel upgrade adds to the price.
It depends on who controls the roof. Townhome owners usually need their association's approval, and condo roofs are typically shared, so the association decides. Get its rules in writing before you sign. If rooftop solar isn't possible, Hawaiian Electric's Shared Solar program lets you subscribe to a participating solar facility.
Look up your address on Hawaiian Electric's Oʻahu Locational Value Map. Circuits with less than 5% space available will most likely need an interconnection study, which can add time. You can still apply, but your system has to be approved before it starts saving you money, as one of our Honolulu customers found.
Yes. Rooftop solar in the City and County of Honolulu goes through a Solar Quick Permit on the City's HNL Build portal, and the system also needs Hawaiian Electric's approval through its Customer Interconnection Tool. We handle both applications and the inspection for you.
If your roof is near the end of its life, yes. Panels last decades, and removing and reinstalling them for a later re-roof adds labor you'd pay for twice. We inspect the roof during the site visit and can do the re-roof and the solar as one project.
Yes. We're a Tesla Premier Installer and design battery systems for backup and evening use. Hawaiian Electric's BYOD Plus pays $400 per kW committed for a new battery paired with solar, and a battery installed with new panels in the same year counts toward the state credit.
Send your Hawaiian Electric bills and your address. We'll check your circuit, look at your roof and give you a written proposal with the price before incentives, your state credit and any BYOD Plus amount.
Alternate Energy Hawaii · 96-1276 Waihona Street, Suite #114, Pearl City, HI 96782 · License C-26041