Residents of Vancouver and Clark County considering solar panels have another reason to look at the technology. The Board of Commissioners of Clark Public Utilities has lifted the hold it had placed on registrations for new renewable energy systems. The commissioners also committed the utility to selling the rest of the units in the community solar program, and participating in Washington State’s new program that gives incentives for installing solar.
Erica Erland, a spokeswoman for Clark PUD, said the recent decisions will give solar contractors a new program to discuss with homeowners who are interested in the system. One such contractor, Jordan Weisman, who owns Vancouver’s Sunbridge Solar, said the commission’s decision was encouraging, and that between their vote and the state’s new solar program, should boost the local solar industry.
Due to the demand for solar, Clark PUD officials were forced to pause new investments, and put people on a waiting list. Now it plans to sell shares in its extant solar program. Shares will cost $75, with customers on the waiting list getting the first chance to buy. In addition, Washington’s new Production Incentive Program begins October 1, 2017 and runs through the end of June, 2029. The program will provide funds to help the utility cope with over-enrollment in the solar program.
The complexity of the issue might be simplified if officials created Brochures to explain the principles in detail.
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