Admittedly it can be challenging to build a solar industry in the gray zone we call home: our area is cloudy 226 days a year and ranks near the bottom of U.S. cities for clear days, according to the Western Regional Climate Center. And electricity from conventional sources is relatively inexpensive here, which means that it can be a tough sell to get homeowners and businesses to invest in green energy systems like solar power.

Still, Washington has doubled the amount of solar power generated each year since 2006. The growth has been fueled by a combination of federal and state incentives for installing solar equipment and falling prices for solar panels, which have dropped in cost by 80 percent over the past five years.

The upfront cost of a solar installation can be considerable but it can make economic sense for many reasons:

• Washington has some of the most attractive solar incentives in the world. Residents and businesses can get up to $5,000 per year for the solar energy they generate. The biggest state incentives go to buyers of solar modules made in Washington.
• Washington also waives sales taxes for equipment used to produce solar power, and for the cost of installing that equipment.
• Plus, buyers can claim a federal tax credit of 30% of the upfront cost of a solar system.
• In addition to receiving state incentives, solar owners can save on power bills. With PSE’s Net Metering, customers who generate their own solar power are connected to the utility’s distribution grid; they produce solar energy for their home or business when the sun shines and use electricity from the grid when they need it. When systems produce more energy than is immediately consumed, PSE credits the account at retail prices for the power added to the grid.
• It increases property values. A study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that homes with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems sell for a $17,000 premium over homes without solar systems.

Solar can help energize our local economy too, since the solar industry is creating jobs six times faster than the overall job market. Washington’s incentives are aimed at supporting a homegrown solar industry, and they have. In the past four years two manufacturers have begun producing solar modules in Washington, and the job market is growing for solar installers.

PSE and its Green Power program have been working for more than a decade to increase the visibility and viability of solar power in the Northwest.

• Green Power has funded the installation of solar modules in schools, community centers and other public facilities across the state.
• Residential customers have won home solar installations through Green Power’s Solar Sweepstakes. 
• This year Green Power will focus on increasing its support of solar through its energy portfolio and community programs.

To help demonstrate that solar power can work in the Northwest, PSE built the region's largest solar array in 2007 at its Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility in Kittitas County. It features 2,723 photovoltaic solar panels and includes the first made-in-Washington panels, which can produce power even under cloudy skies.

Today, PSE supports over 1500 Net Metered customers, and although adding solar may not be an option for everyone, PSE’s Green Power Program provides a way to support a growing solar industry. 

Want to support solar in our region?

Sign up for the Green Power program. 
Learn about PSE’s Net Metering program.

One code is available per household and a new code will be distributed early each year through participant’s personalized Annual Report. New participants will receive their code in their Welcome Packet, shortly after they enroll. Do not miss out: download the app today! Find out more here.