Dive Brief:

• Three bills addressing solar policy in Washington have divided the state's industry, with two solar advocacy groups split over whether to support the measures.
• The bills introduced by Rep. Jeff Morris (D), would address issues like net metering and third-party leasing, but it is unclear the extent to which the legislation offers protections for solar installers.
• One group of solar installers is begrudgingly supporting the legislation, while another is lobbying for citizens to oppose the measures.

Dive Insight:

CleanTechnica has posted a pretty scathing look at how utilities in Washington state are allegedly working to put the solar industry out of business, but the issue isn't so simple. Solar Installers of Washington (SIW), a local trade group, said "at this point, we are supporting the bills, but with some concerns about many of the details contained within."

The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC), however, says the bills — HB 1096, 1097 and 1098 —  "threaten to eliminate fundamental solar policies and ensure that solar in Washington stays only for the rich."

According to SIW, as currently drafted the bill would require regulatory oversight by utility regulators for leasing companies, which TASC opposes.

"Additionally, the bills would allow utilities to propose different rates for net metering rather than crediting kWh's as currently required," SIW conceded. The group said it "shares similar concerns about this potential net metering change as TASC does, and we continue to advocate for the net metering law to be preserved as-is."

TASC offers an online form where citizens can send pre-written advocacy letters their representatives. The letter reads in part: "This legislation also bans leasing, ensuring that those of us who can’t pay several tens of thousands of dollars for a solar system upfront, never get the opportunity to go solar."

Rep. Morris, who introduced the bills, issued a statement which seemed to capture the complexity:

"A convergence of different market pressures from customers and clean energy policies are starting to squeeze revenue for our state’s electric utilities," Morris said. "The correct course for Washington is to respond to what utility customers demand, and implement state policies that create green and clean jobs close to home. However, without healthy utilities, we won’t be able to implement these priorities."