Washington State Solar Grants
Washington State is very energy conscious. In fact, it was the first state to issue a general Renewable Energy Production Incentive program. In addition to the numerous state incentives available in Washington, various grants are available in certain counties, from a non-profit organization and from Washington's power company, Puget Sound Energy.
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King County Commercial "Green Building Grants Program"
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The King County Commercial "Green Building Grants Program"grant is offered by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks. As of January 2011, the maximum award amount has not been determined, however grants up to $35,000 have been awarded in previous years. Private, nonprofit, and public projects that meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification or Built Green 4-star certification standards are eligible to apply for grant awards. Grants may be used for passive solar space heat, geothermal heat pumps, solar water heat, photovoltaics, solar space heat, wind, biomass and daylighting.
Seattle and King County "Built Green Grant Program"
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The Seattle and King County "Built Green Grant Program" grant is designed to award between $2,500 and $20,000 depending on the development type and Built Green certification level. Single-family residential homes, multi-family construction and contractors or builders may apply for the grant if the construction is at least 4-star Built Green certified. Single-family homes certified at the 4-star or 5-star levels are eligible for $2,500 and $5,000 grants respectively. Developments with more than four single-family homes may receive $5,000 for 4-star certified homes or $10,000 grants for 5-star certified homes. Community or multi-family developments with more than 10 units may receive a $10,000 or $20,000 grant based on their Built Green star rating.
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Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) "Solar 4R Schools"
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The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) "Solar 4R Schools" program is a non-profit grant program that began in 2002. The grant is focused on providing schools with between 50 percent and 100 percent of the costs for approved demonstration systems for photovoltaics and other distributed generation technologies. These grants are awarded to schools with a desire to increase the visibility of renewable energy, and they include outreach and educational components in their proposals. The grant is available for schools from elementary to high school levels and BEF donates all of the system equipment and installation expertise in addition to developing a solar curriculum to help students learn about how the system works and the advantages of photovoltaics.
Federal Grants Available to Washington Residents
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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) created a federal grant for certain properties placed in service during or where construction began in 2009, 2010 or 2011. Hybrid solar-lighting systems, which distribute sunlight using fiber-optics to illuminate buildings and systems that harness solar energy to heat or cool a structure or provide hot water, generate electricity, or provide solar process heat are all eligible for the grant. The grant is awarded in the amount of 30 percent of the basis of the property for solar energy. Solar pool-heating systems and passive solar systems are not eligible.
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References
- Cal Finder: Which States Offer Government Grants for Home Solar Power?
- Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE): King County -- Commercial Green Building Grants Program
- Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE): Seattle/King County -- Built Green Grant Program
- Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE): BEF -- Solar 4R Schools
- Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE): Federal Renewable Energy Grants
Resources
- Photo Credit Solar image by Thomas Leiss from Fotolia.com
