HI SCR58

Urges the Public Utilities Commission, Hawaii State Energy Office, and counties to allow solar farms to elevate solar panels to create housing units beneath them for addressing homelessness.

Cites 2022 Hawaii Statewide Point in Time Count data showing over 5,900 homeless individuals in the state, with nearly 4,000 on Oahu and 60 percent of Oahu's homeless population unsheltered.

Identifies housing-first programs and projects like the Cedar Farm Project in Waianae as effective models for providing sustainable housing to homeless and low-income residents.

Proposes that elevated solar panels could provide dual benefits by reducing energy costs for housing units while addressing opposition to solar farms that stems from conflicting land-use needs for low-income housing.

Requires transmission of certified copies to the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, Public Utilities Commission Chair, Hawaii State Energy Office Chief Energy Officer, and all four county council chairpersons.