Community Solar at the Arlington Microgrid

Yes, you may transfer your units to another PUD customer. Please download and submit this form.

In the event you, or your representative, needs to terminate your electric account, we will allow 60 days for solar units to be transferred or sold to another PUD electric customer. If the units have not been transferred within 60 days, the units will revert back to the PUD. If you move within PUD’s service territory and continue to be an electric customer, the units will remain with you.

The solar array is located at 17601 59th Ave NE in Arlington, next to a Clean Energy Technology Center. The site is across from the Arlington Airport and can be seen from 59th Ave NE.

Money collected from solar energy unit sales offset the cost of construction and maintenance of the solar array.

Participants receive a fixed monthly credit of $0.06/kWh on their bill equal to their portion of the solar system’s production. This is the average forecasted value of local renewable energy for the next 20 years.

In addition, customers will receive an annual incentive payment provided by Washington state. We anticipate this payment will be $0.16/kWh per year of energy produced for the first 8 years of the program, or when the PUD reaches 50% of the total solar system cost, whichever comes first.

If you are interested in putting solar panels on your home or business, we recommend getting bids from a few solar installers to weigh the costs and benefits of this option. The financial return on rooftop solar is highly dependent on solar installer costs, available state and federal incentives, and the site’s access to sunlight (i.e. free from shading).

The $120 cost per solar unit is inclusive of estimated maintenance costs for the 20-year project period. Any additional maintenance or repair costs will be covered by the PUD.

In the event of a cataclysmic event, the PUD is fully insured and holds equipment warranties from the manufacturers.

Solar panels do usually last longer than 20 years. However, we anticipate that maintenance costs will begin to increase after 20 years. We decided to end the project at this point instead of including additional maintenance costs in the solar unit cost.

At the end of the project period, contracts with participants, including the energy credit, will end and energy production will revert back to the PUD.

We do not think participants in this project would be eligible for the Federal Investment Tax Credit, as participants will not own the physical asset. However, we encourage participants who are interested in this incentive to consult with a tax professional.

The Community Solar array has a capacity of 500 kW. The energy produced by the solar array sends power directly to the grid and serves as a generating unit for energy storage and vehicle-to-grid systems incorporated in the microgrid in addition to buildings on site.

The Arlington Microgrid includes the solar array, battery storage units and a vehicle-to-grid system. In an emergency, the system will be able to be “islanded” to run independently from the electric grid, powering the future North County community office. The energy storage and vehicle-to-grid systems will demonstrate how renewable energy can pair with clean energy technologies.