Solar panels becoming more mainstream in the Northwest

Solar panels are still a rarity in most Northwest neighborhoods, but the alternative energy source is gaining in popularity among homeowners.

Snohomish County PUD says it has just hit a milestone with a combined solar energy capacity of two megawatts.

“In the last 18 months, we’ve doubled the number of solar rooftop units on homes here in Snohomish County,” says Neil Neroutsos, spokesman for Snohomish County PUD.

“We have about 350 customers now tapping solar energy here in Snohomish County. That is about enough to serve 170 homes. The typical solar system doesn’t provide all the energy for your home, but it can really make a dent in your energy use,” says Neroutsos.

Seattle City Light has a solar program that has led to more than 140 installations just this year. Spokesman Scott Thomsen says City Light now has more than 900 customers with solar installations.

Both utilities offer incentives and rebates for customers who go solar and Neroutsos says it’s becoming more affordable.

“Many of these system units are 40 percent cheaper than they were just a few years ago,” says Neroutsos.

Neroutsos says even more mainstream customers are taking advantage of solar power.

“In recent years, you may have seen some of the early adopters, it could be a retired engineer or someone who’s got a really strong ethic in renewable energy, but we’re seeing a lot more mainstream just regular customers taking advantage of solar, they’re seeing the benefits.”

The residential rooftop panels will eventually pay for themselves.

“The energy does go back into the grid and then they get credited for any surplus beyond what they use. So in the summer months, they may be using little electricity but producing quite a bit,” says Neroutsos. “They’ll get a credit on their bill for that extra production beyond what they’re using.”

Seattle City Light also has a community solar project that allows customers to pay a portion of the system cost for a share of the benefits. The first community panel went up in a park on Beacon Hill and the city just announced a second system will be built on the roof of the Seattle Aquarium.