We love talking about solar. We get to do it every day. But it’s pretty hard to stay “little picture” when discussing solar with a homeowner or a corporate sustainability executive. Eventually, conversations about renewable energy in Washington and Oregon hit a “big-picture moment,” and we end up talking about the Pacific Northwest’s favorite energy superstar: hydroelectricity. The good news is...
One of A&R Solar's Oregon customers has a home with amazing views of the Deschutes River. The solar PV system consists of SolarWorld panels that are made in Oregon. ...
A&R Solar wrapped up installation of a unique community solar project in Gig Harbor. The 60 kW system is installed on the Harbor History Museum, a nonprofit that houses the history of the Gig Harbor Peninsula and serves as a community gathering place. Many community solar projects are ground mounted systems, making the museum project unique. The 216 Made-in-Washington Itek solar panels...
A&R Solar helped construct the largest community solar project in Washington. The Spokane Valley system went online in September 2015 and will serve more than 500 residential and commercial customers. The 425 kW ground-mounted solar array is the biggest facility to use all Washington-made equipment. The Avista Utilities array has 1,512 panels and is large enough to power about 50 households. During...
It takes about minute to send an email to your Senators to tell them to extend the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). The tax credit for solar investment is set to shrink after 2016 and extending the credit can help sustain the growth in solar energy. The ITC is one of the most important federal policy mechanisms to support the deployment...
Two community solar projects in Washington State will soon be up and running, offering residents in Clark and Benton counties an affordable green investment that will save them money on their power bills. A&R Solar is in the process of installing ground-mounted solar arrays in Kennewick and should be done soon. Work on the arrays in Vancouver began on June 1st...
This post was originally published by A&R Solar customer Nick Strauss on the Northwest Edible Life website. Read the full post here. We just passed the one year anniversary of our solar power system going live. How do things look after a full year? Pretty good. First some numbers, then let’s talk about how we got there. When A&R Solar installed our...
One of Seattle’s iconic houseboats now is partly powered by solar energy. Limited roof space didn’t stop William Donnelly from installing a solar system on his floating home on Lake Union. For Donnelly, going solar was less about financial savings and more about being a pioneer in the clean energy movement while motivating others in the Eastlake community to do the same. Donnelly’s...
A program designed to help homeowners and businesses offset the costs of installing solar systems may be extended and overhauled before the Washington State Legislature wraps up this year’s session. A&R Solar is part of Solar Installers of Washington, a trade association that is lobbying for changes to the Renewable Energy Cost Recovery Incentive Payment Program that would help thousands of...
Whenever I talk about solar and sustainability I try to keep my tone hopeful. As a lifetime environmentalist I’ve been brow beat with doom and gloom messages about what will happen if our species does not make a 180 degree course correction and fast. I knew that when I started my own company that we would not focus on negative...