PSE, Washington's oldest energy utility, provides electricity and gas to residents of the Puget Sound area. Its net metering program allows customers to earn money by selling excess electricity to the grid. The number of customer-owned, grid-connected solar systems has risen from 100 in early 2007 to 516 today, PSE says.
In addition to the utility's net metering policy - and its subsidization of special two-way meters - the state pays residents who produce electricity from solar power. Washingtonians are rewarded for installing solar equipment assembled in the state; systems incorporating made-in-Washington solar modules and inverters are eligible for a $0.54-per-kilowatt-hour rebate.
To further incentivize solar projects in the Evergreen State, a representative in the state House of Representatives, John McCoy, proposed a bill that would establish a feed-in tariff in the next legislative session. FITs provide homeowners and businesses who install solar power with a guaranteed contract price for the excess energy they generate. If McCoy's bill becomes law - as a similar Ontario bill has - solar power will become even smarter for Washington residents.
