Shedding “light” on green energy: Council calls on Executive to explore opportunities in community solar programs

September 26, 2011

Summary

Creating a model for collaboration between county, communities

Story

The Metropolitan King County Council today gave its unanimous approval to a motion calling on the County Executive to study ways King County can partner with communities interested in expanding the use of solar energy in their neighborhoods.

“Solar energy is and will be a part of our future, and King County has an opportunity to promote solar energy innovations by partnering with local communities on solar energy projects,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips. “Increasing solar energy opportunities has the potential to reduce the county’s energy costs, promote green jobs and investments, and reduce carbon emissions.”

The number of solar installations has been dramatically increasing in recent years, providing jobs for local solar installers and manufacturers in our state. As Chair of the Transportation, Economy and Environment (TrEE) Committee, Phillips has encouraged King County to further explore the use of renewable energy, including solar. The TrEE Committee hosted a solar panel discussion that included the CEO of Puget Sound Solar and a representative of the Backbone Campaign, which is organizing a community solar project on Vashon Island.

State law encourages the formation of community solar project ventures that allow individuals to pool their funds and invest in a solar installation on public properties and facilities.

Many individuals wishing to install solar panels on their own homes cannot do so for various reasons, including being a rental tenant or not having good sun exposure on their property. Community solar projects allow individuals, regardless of whether they own property, to own all or part of a solar energy system that generates up to 75 kilowatts of electricity and to receive incentive payments from the state as “payback” for their investment. In order to encourage the manufacturing of solar systems in Washington, the state’s incentive program allows for participants to receive an incentive payment for solar systems manufactured in-state of $1.08 per kilowatt hour, which is 10 times higher than the current value of electricity.

Community solar projects are an opportunity for local governments like King County to participate in the expansion of solar energy because the program calls for the placement of the solar energy system on property owned by a cooperating local government. There are many different options for what such participation could look like; one example would be a group of individual investors who could build a solar installation on County property or facility that connects to the grid. Assuming sufficient energy is generated, each investor could receive incentive payments from the state that would, over time, exceed the individual’s initial investment. In the meantime, King County could achieve operational savings by utilizing the solar energy generated, without the need to pay for installation or maintenance of the solar panels.

The potential benefits to King County for “hosting” community solar installations include: facilitating local investments in solar energy, reducing county energy costs, contributing to community-scale reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and helping to build a local market for solar technology.

The adopted motion calls on the Executive to review the State’s community solar program for opportunities for the County to participate.