Proposed Washington state legislation, H.B. 1144, which has passed the state’s House, would correct some parts of the state’s community solar law. But since its introduction, some major provisions have been cut from the bill, reducing solar advocate’s enthusiasm for the bill.

Community solar is a relatively new form of solar financing that allows multiple people in a community to buy part of a larger photovoltaic array and use the power generated by their portion of the array to offset some or all of their electricity use. States like Washington and Colorado have installed community solar gardens and more are expected in the future.

Despite Washington having a community solar law in place, only two community solar arrays have been built in the state, said Joe Deets, executive director of Community Energy Solutions and a board member of advocacy group Solar Washington.

“It’s been slow to get things going,” he said.

That may change as rules regarding community solar projects were recently issued by the Washington Department of Revenue. Concern over whether the 1603 tax grants would be extended was another issue that may have kept some potential community solar projects at bay, he said.

Currently, community solar projects can only be located on local government-owned sites. Among other things HB 1144 would allow community solar projects to be installed on food banks and non-profits.

“Then there are the production incentives, based on kilowatt hours [generated],” Deets said. It also creates additional incentives for projects built using components from solar manufacturers in Washington State.

But since its introduction, the bill has been altered.

“1144 changed dramatically when it went through the House. It’s not all that recognizable from when it started,” Deets said. “There were some broader parts of the bill that were taken out.”

As it currently stands, the bill has some positive parts and some parts, about which Solar Washington isn’t excited.

The organization is writing to its legislators to reiterate its original position on some of the issues in the bill.

“We’re really looking farther than just this one bill,” Deets said. “What we would like to do in the future is take a much more active role on legislation.”

Pictured: Ellensburg Community Solar Project in Washington.