What a great 2019 State legislative session we had for solar energy! Washington State has a new solar incentive program that rewards homeowners 6.5% to 10.4% for going solar in the form of a sales tax exemption! For a typical-sized system, this is a $2,000 incentive. The exemption is included in the 100% Clean Energy Act, which was signed into law on May 7. All solar systems installed after June 30th will be 100% exempt from State sales tax, resulting in a lower solar system cost and a faster payback.

Clean Energy Act Signed Into Law

The Clean Energy Act is also a huge win for clean energy as it mandates that all electrical utilities in Washington State transition to 100 percent carbon-neutral electric supply by 2030 and 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045! Washington is now the fourth state, and the first in the Northwest, to pass 100 percent clean electricity legislation.

Solar Fairness Act Signed Into Law

Another big Washington State victory for solar power was on April 30th, when Governor Inslee signed the Solar Fairness Act into law. It raises each electrical utility’s net metering threshold to 4%, an 8x increase over the previous threshold of 0.5%, creating a level playing field for clean energy by allowing solar projects to continue benefiting from net metering.

The combination of the solar sales tax exemption, 4% net-metering threshold, and 100% clean energy policy positions Washington State as a progressive leader in making renewable energy a significant contribution to the State’s energy portfolio. On the federal level, there is a 30% federal income tax credit; however, in 2020, it was reduced to 26%.

Thank you For Your Support

A big thanks go out to all of you who participated in the grassroots effort to contact legislators in support of these bills and to Solar Installers of Washington for making these bills happen!

Learn about all eligible solar incentives and how net metering works.

New Solar Incentive Citations