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A bill was past by the Washington legislature in 2005 that authorizes utilities to pay $0.15/kWh for every kWh a solar and/or wind system produces from July1, 2005 to July1, 2014.  Go to the Northwest Solar Center for more information and an application. http://www.northwestsolarcenter.org
 
A bill was past by the Washington legislature in 2005 that authorizes utilities to pay $0.15/kWh for every kWh a solar and/or wind system produces from July1, 2005 to July1, 2014.  Go to the Northwest Solar Center for more information and an application. http://www.northwestsolarcenter.org
  
This is voluntary on the part of the utility, as of July 2006 major utilities have signed on.  The money comes from the state utility tax. If you buy panels made in WA you can add $0.36/kWh to the $0.15/kWh or $0.18/kWh. If you buy an inverter manufactured in Washington state the $0.15/kWh is boosted to $0.18/kWh. The two Washington state companies manufacturing inverters are Magnum Energy Inc, in Everett (www.magnumenergy.com), and Outback Power Systems, in Arlington (www.outbackpower.com).  
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This is voluntary on the part of the utility, as of July 2006 major utilities have signed on.  The money comes from the state utility tax. If you buy panels made in WA you can add $0.36/kWh to the $0.15/kWh or $0.18/kWh. If you buy an inverter manufactured in Washington state the $0.15/kWh is boosted to $0.18/kWh. The two Washington state companies manufacturing inverters are Magnum Energy Inc, in Everett (http://www.magnumenergy.com), and Outback Power Systems, in Arlington (http://www.outbackpower.com).  
  
 
The hitch here is that there are no panels made in Washington.  We believe that there will be Washington made panels within 2-3 years thanks to a second bill signed into law by Governor Gregoire in 2005, which gives B&O tax breaks to a company that builds a PV manufacturing plant in Washington.
 
The hitch here is that there are no panels made in Washington.  We believe that there will be Washington made panels within 2-3 years thanks to a second bill signed into law by Governor Gregoire in 2005, which gives B&O tax breaks to a company that builds a PV manufacturing plant in Washington.

Revision as of 00:53, 14 December 2006

Solar Incentives for Washington State Residents

See http://www.solarwashington.org

Federal

30% tax credit for systems brought on line in 2006, and 2007 with a cap of $2,000 for homes and no cap for businesses. Both photovoltaic and hot water systems are eligible. ASES is working to extend and increase this credit to $2000 per kilowatt. Contact http://ASES.org for more information about their efforts and let your Senate and House member know how you feel.

Green Tags

Earn $0.05/kWh for everything your PV system produces for the next 5 years by selling your system's environmental attributes (bragging rights) as green tags, to Cascade Solar Consulting. This opportunity ends DEC 32, 2006 Go to http://www.cascadesolar.com for more info.

State

Sales Tax Exemption

By state law the sales tax (varies by county) is waved on purchase of the PV and solar hot water equipment and the installation of PV and hot water systems. This is in WA state law and is in effect until 2011. You will be asked to fill out a form which is kept by your solar installer for his/her records.

Net Metering

Required under federal law and defined by WA state law. Net metering requires utilities to allow homeowners to hook solar, wind and micro hydro systems up to the grid and receive credit for what is contributed. This results in "turning the meter backwards". You draw from your energy credit when your PV system goes to sleep (evening and darkest days in winter).

Production Incentive Payments

A bill was past by the Washington legislature in 2005 that authorizes utilities to pay $0.15/kWh for every kWh a solar and/or wind system produces from July1, 2005 to July1, 2014. Go to the Northwest Solar Center for more information and an application. http://www.northwestsolarcenter.org

This is voluntary on the part of the utility, as of July 2006 major utilities have signed on. The money comes from the state utility tax. If you buy panels made in WA you can add $0.36/kWh to the $0.15/kWh or $0.18/kWh. If you buy an inverter manufactured in Washington state the $0.15/kWh is boosted to $0.18/kWh. The two Washington state companies manufacturing inverters are Magnum Energy Inc, in Everett (http://www.magnumenergy.com), and Outback Power Systems, in Arlington (http://www.outbackpower.com).

The hitch here is that there are no panels made in Washington. We believe that there will be Washington made panels within 2-3 years thanks to a second bill signed into law by Governor Gregoire in 2005, which gives B&O tax breaks to a company that builds a PV manufacturing plant in Washington.

Check with your local utilities about additional offers.
Puget Sound Energy offers customers an up front rebate for the cost of installation of photovoltaics at $525/Wh to $600/kW depending on what county you live in. Chelan PUD's innovative SNAP program has been the leader in the state at assisting their customers in generating renewable power. Clark County offers $2,000 rebate for hot water systems. Some utilities are adopting the SNAP program and Bright Way.

Photo Voltaic