A study released today by Solar Installers of Washington (SIW) shows that November passage of the clean energy investment ballot measure, Initiative 1631, could dramatically accelerate growth of the residential, commercial, and community solar markets in Washington State. Seventy percent of the pollution fees collected under the new law would be directed toward a Clean Air Clean Energy (CACE) Fund. The study shows that injecting 10-20% of CACE funds into a program roughly modeled on the state’s existing Renewable Energy System Incentive Program could deploy more than four gigawatts of distributed solar generating capacity, a thirty-fold increase over current installed solar capacity, equivalent to more than 400,000 typical rooftop systems.
Under the scenarios studied, solar industry growth could add well over 3,000 jobs beyond the 3,400 existing today, signaling the need for substantial investment in renewable energy workforce development. By 2050 new solar incentives deployed with CACE funds could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 32 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Initiative 1631 would level the playing field for renewable energy by making large corporate polluters pay for their emissions, and by re-investing those funds in clean energy projects that protect our air and water.
Learn more about the Distributed Solar Energy Potential of I-1631.
