WA Solar Energy Future

The Future of Solar Energy in Washington State

Years ago, Washington State was poised to be a world leader in the development and manufacturing of solar PV technology.  Unfortunately, that vision did not come to fruition at that time. Perhaps the idea of leading the world in solar technology from a location famous for its cloudy winters made it even more difficult to gain support. The result was Germany taking the lead, and becoming one of the superpowers of solar production and manufacturing.

Through their innovative incentive programs, Germany opened the door not only for the use of solar photovoltaics as a viable source of energy production, but also for the development of the photovoltaic industry, encouraging economic growth in a fast-growing industry. It is this economic development, and not the idealism of the “go green” movement, that eventually proved to the world that the incentive programs worked. The solar industry is now the country's fastest growing industry, quickly placing Germany among the world leaders in solar photovoltaic production. Ironically, Germany experiences more cloudy days per year than Western Washington.

Now, years later, the Washington State Legislature, influenced by Washington State University and The Northwest Solar Center, have mirrored many aspects of the successful German legislation. The first of these is Washington State’s Renewable Electricity Standard, Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Title 19, which mandates that the state’s largest utilities derive at least 15% of their retail electric load with renewable energy by 2020.

This is not only to encourage “green” energy, it is also a response to the increased demand placed on Washington State’s energy providers to meet the needs of current and future customers. This is a serious challenge, and a direct link to the growth of the renewable energy industry.