"HPU doesn't have to worry about their return investment because it doesn't require any investment on their part. There's a third-party investor that has invested in the system and they're the ones who are going to have to maintain it," explained Ted Peck, chief executive officer of Holu Energy, the Hawaii-based subsidiary of EnSync Energy.



The panels for the first phase came in before President Donald Trump approved a tariff on imported solar panels. Peck said the tariff did push up the cost for the second phase, but he's confident that the solar industry will find ways to develop future projects.