With the Solar Jobs Bill passing early last month we now have a better idea of the changes coming to the utility incentive program.

Legacy Program: Existing customers will have their rates frozen at their last year (2016) rates. They will receive this rate until June 31st 2020. Existing customers will have to reapply to WSU by 4/30/2018 to continue to receive their incentive until 2020.

New Program: The new program will take effect October 1st. New installations in 2018 will receive $0.21 per kilowatt hour (Washington Made Equipment) up to $5,000 a year for 8 years or until 50% of the cost of system is recouped. The starting incentive rates step down over time, meaning installations in 2019 will have a lower rate than 2018 installation and so on until 2021. 

Along with the new program the Sales Tax Exemption incentive will expire on October 1st. 

For more information about the changes you can review the SIW's summary sheet. 

We recently installed this neat off-grid system for the irrigation at a golf course. This was a fun project where we had to get creative in finding the best solution. We think it turned out great! We can provide a solution for almost any setup. 

It's that time of year again. June 30th was the end of the 2016-2017 production incentive fiscal year. If you have a utility that typically takes care of reading your meter then you should receive paperwork by August 1st. Otherwise fill out the Annual Incentive Payment Application and submit it no later than Aug 1st to your utility provider. When in doubt call your utility.

If this is your first year collecting payment you should have received an email blast earlier this month with more detailed instructions. 

If anyone has any questions feel free to call or email our office. 509-968-4746 or 1177power@gmail.com

Did you know you can purchase a Generac Warranty up to a year after installation! Air-Cooled generators come with a standard 5 year warranty that only provides limited coverage the last few years. Purchase an extended 5,7, or 10 year warranty and have all parts and labor covered for the duration of the warranty. 

5 and 7 year warranties can be purchased within 365 days of the start up date. 10 year warranties can be purchased at any time on 2013 or newer models. 

Take a look at this recent installation in Yakima. Not a lot of roof space but our team was able to utilize the space available and put in a 5.9kw system. We can install solar on just about anything, contact us today to find out what we can do for your home.

Some Silicon Energy modules installed between 2010 and 2012 are experiencing delamination.Delamination is when the bond between the plastics on the back and the glass on the front begin to separate. This is characterized by white spots on the panel, normally in the upper right and lower left corners. Also some modules look to be sagging beneath the glass. We are suggesting that all of our clients with Silicon Energy panels to do a visual inspection of their panels for these defects. If you do find any signs of delamination please contact us so we can complete a safety assessment of your system. Currently it only seems to be a cosmetic problem but if you see experience a drop in production please notify us. 

Unfortunately Silicon Energy WA is no longer in business as of 2016. They experienced financial hardships in past years and filed a Certificate of Dissolution in Washington State in July. Because of their financial losses they have no assets or funds to pay warranty claimants. They will not be standing by their warranty on these defective modules. 

However Itek Energy in Bellingham as decided to offer customers effected by delamination discounted prices on their modules. We have been using Itek modules since 2012 and to date have not had any problems with their product. If you are interested in replacing your system with an Itek system, please contact us today and we can provide a quote. 

Examples of what delamination looks like.

A new solar bill will be looked at this legislative session. Solar Strong Washington has released a great summary on the current bill. To learn more about HB 1048 go to ​http://solarstrongwa.org/