Wet'n'Wild Hawaii and Stem Inc., a leader in intelligent energy storage, today flipped the switch to activate the largest customer-sited energy storage system in Hawaii, supported by Hawaii's Energy Excelerator, the Hawaiian Electric Company and the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative.

Support from Stem, Inc., Energy Excelerator, Hawaiian Electric Company, U.S. DOE

Kapolei, HI - October 4, 2016— WetnWild Hawaii and Stem Inc., a leader in intelligent energy storage, today flipped the switch to activate the largest customer-sited energy storage system in Hawaii, supported by Hawaiis Energy Excelerator, the Hawaiian Electric Company and the U.S. Department of Energys SunShot Initiative.

The WetNWild system--108 kilowatts / 216 kilowatt-hours—is part of a three-year pilot to deploy electric storage systems at about 30 local businesses on O‘ahu, Maui and Hawai‘i Island, using Stems storage solution to help improve reliable electric service for customers of utilities with high levels of rooftop solar and other distributed energy resources. The project will be part of the U.S. DOE SunShot Initiatives "Sustainable and Holistic Integration of Energy Storage and Solar PV (SHINES) to demonstrate visibility and control of edge-of-network resources.

With its robust software platform, supported by real-time data and predictive analytics, Stem will work to better integrate energy storage at customer sites to help customers manage their loads and provide the Hawaiian Electric Companies with grid responsive resources. For the first time, grid operators will be able to see and manage customer-sited resources, including energy storage, alongside conventional generation resources from their existing control platforms.

"We follow the sun. Our hours of operation are specifically during peak times for sunlight, so this project is very attractive for us," said Jerry Pupillo, WetnWild Hawaii general manager. "The batteries will kick in to decrease that peak usage spike we have always battled. This makes dollars and sense for us as a business as our peak use determines the rate we pay. Big picture: this could help the utility avoid building another power plant because with battery storage our electricity use can be more precise and controlled to help manage the grid."

"Hawaiian Electric is very happy to partner with WetnWild in our distributed energy storage pilot with Stem," said Shelee Kimura, Hawaiian Electric vice president for corporate planning and business development. "With this ‘behind-the-meter storage at our customers sites, we can help them manage how they use energy with technologies that have dual value, saving participating customers money and improving grid reliability and efficiency for all our customers."

Stems grid-interactive storage system at WetnWild will be the largest system in the pilot, making up about 10 percent of the overall battery capacity being deployed. "WetnWild has heavy load throughout the day with major swings in demand as the rides at the park turn on and off, so this will be a great example of the value that energy storage can bring as it evens out those peaks," added Kimura.

"Customer-sited storage is a valuable resource that delivers reliable capacity when its needed most and automatically reduces customers peak energy use and utility bills. This pilot project supports Hawaiis goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2045 and serves as a model for other utilities and companies to follow," said Tad Glauthier, vice president of Hawaii operations at Stem. "When utilities partner with companies that share this vision and commitment, we can build grid-scale batteries that compete with fossil-fuel based resources. In this case, we can do it without taking up any more of Hawaiis precious land or placing an extra burden on ratepayers. WetnWild is truly leading the way with their participation in this project."


About Wet‘nWild Hawaii
Ranked as one of the Top 10 Best Amusements/Water Parks in the nation by the Travel Channel and named "Best of Honolulu" family attraction by HONOLULU magazine and Hawaiis #1 season pass value by HONOLULU Family magazine, Wet‘nWild Hawaii features nearly 30 acres of fun and adventure nestled in the hills of Oahus second city, Kapolei. With 26 rides and attractions, Wet‘nWild Hawaii waterpark and Island Adventure Golf offer something for everyone, from families looking to relax and cool off in warm tropical waters to thrill seekers searching for an adrenaline boost. Wet‘nWild Hawaii is also a popular venue to hold birthday parties, family gatherings, corporate getaways, and concerts. For more information on Wet‘nWild Hawaii, call 808.674.WAVE (9283) or visit www.wetnwildhawaii.com

About Stem, Inc.
Stem, Inc., a leading provider of intelligent energy storage, combines big data, predictive analytics and energy storage to simultaneously reduce electricity costs for businesses and in aggregate, deliver services to the grid. Stems software learns a customers unique energy profile to maximize savings and displays real-time and predicted energy use alongside actionable recommendations. When aggregated, Stems customer-sited storage network offers flexible, cost-competitive capacity to the grid. Headquartered in Millbrae, California, Stem is funded by a consortium of leading investors including Angeleno Group, Iberdrola (Inversiones Financieras Perseo), GE Ventures, Constellation New Energy, Total Energy Ventures, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and RWE Supply & Trading. For more information visit www.stem.com

About Hawaiian Electric
Hawaiian Electric and its subsidiaries, Maui Electric and Hawai‘i Electric Light, serve the islands of O‘ahu, Maui, Lānaʻi, Moloka'i and Hawai‘i , home to 95 percent of the population of Hawai‘i. Hawaiian Electric's parent company is Hawaiian Electric Industries (NYSE: HE). In a changing world, the Hawaiian Electric Companies are taking the lead in adding renewable energy and developing energy solutions for its customers to achieve a clean energy future for Hawai‘i.  For more, visit www.hawaiianelectric.com
# # #