Washington office building gets solar upgrade

One office building in Washington will soon benefit from additional electricity, which could help the office lower its business electricity rates and improve overall building efficiencies, the Snohomish Times reports.

According to the news source, Northwest Wind and Solar is installing a 31.39 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system on top of a 6,000-foot office building in Snohomish County.

“We were intrigued by the idea of incorporating solar power into our new building; and after carefully analyzing the investment, installing the solar system came down to a sensible financial decision,” said Kari Hakso, Kemp West owner. “After meeting with NW Wind & Solar and learning about the system and its advantages for the long term, as well as incentives available through the Snohomish County PUD and others, we were excited to go solar.”

The State of Washington is offering additional incentives for the installation, and will pay a business $0.15 per kilowatt hour for using such solar equipment.

Around the country, retail energy providers, which can often offer customers the best electricity rates, are offering similar incentives to entice people to switch suppliers. Connecticut-based Viridian Energy, for example, offers customers a 100 percent renewable energy package.