2017 Washington State Solar Summit
Friday, October 13, 2017; Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, WA

UPDATE 10.25.2017: Thank you to those who presented, sponsored and attended the 2017 Washington State Solar Summit. We have made available presentation files from the event via the links below. Please note that we are still seeking permission from some of the speakers which is why all files may not be available below at this time. 

Photos from the 2017 Solar Summit by Ben Freeland.

Schedule of Events

8:00-9:00am: Doors open, registration check in; refreshments served

9:00-10:00am: SESSION 1: Welcome; Presentations on the current state of solar in Washington and the USA; Rooms 404/405/406

• State of solar in Washington: David Nicol, President, Solar Washington; Click to view presentation. (PDF file)
• State of solar in the USA & globally: Tom Starrs, Board Chair, Solar Energy Industries Association/Vice President, Market Strategy and Policy, Sunpower Corporation; Click to view presentation. (PDF file)

10:05-10:30am: Break

10:30-12noon: SESSION 2: The current state and future of net metering; Rooms 404/405/406

• Rate design and going beyond net metering: Jim Lazar, Senior Advisor, Regulatory Assistance Project; Click to view presentation. (PDF file)
• Net metering updates from Washington utilities; Click to view slides. (PDF file)
• Stakeholder discussion addressing net metering in Washington, moderated by Jasmine Vasavada, Washington Dept. of Commerce. Panelists include Jeremy Smithson, Solar Installers of Washington, Tom Starrs, SEIA/Sunpower, George Caan, Washington Public Utility Districts Association, Deborah Reynolds, Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission, and Joni Bosh, Northwest Energy Coalition

12:00-1:00pm: Break; Lunch (served in room 402); Unmoderated conversation concerning the Silicon Energy delisting; Room 403

1:00-1:30pm: Keynote: A few words from Governor Jay Inslee; Rooms 404/405/406

1:30-1:45pm: Break

1:50-4:00pm: SESSION 3: Discussion surrounding the implementation of the new production incentive program and PV recycling; Rooms 404/405/406

• 1:50-2:45: Production incentive component
  • An overview on the new incentive program and expectations moving forward; Jeremy Smithson, Solar Installers of Washington; Click to view presentation. (PDF file)
  • Addressing and answering questions concerning the implementation of the new incentive program; Jake Fey, Washington State University Energy Program; Click to view presentation. (PDF file)

• 2:45-3:45: Recycling component & bill wrap up
  • An overview of product stewardship approaches, key elements for solar module stewardship in ESSB 5939 and some next steps; Sego Jackson, Seattle Public Utilities; Click to view presentation. (PDF file)
  • Recycling in the marketplace; Rick Matheson, Silicon 2 Solar; Click to view presentation. (PDF file).
  • General wrap up and thoughts about ESSB 5939 with Sen. Guy Palumbo and Rep. Gael Tarleton

3:00-4:30pm: NABCEP training presented by SolarEdge; Room 401 

A high-level overview of design/install/sales. Presented by SolarEdge. Learn how SolarEdge’s optimized inverter solution is designed to achieve more energy, increase design flexibility, provide module-level production data and create a safer more reliable PV system. NABCEP credits 1.5 hours will be offered to NABCEP training attendees. 

3:45-4:30pm: Unmoderated conversation concerning community solar; Room 403

4:00-4:45pm: SESSION 4: Utility scale solar projects in Washington; Rooms 404/405/406

• Neoen's Richland, WA solar project and the company's view on developing utility size PV projects in the Northwest; Valerie Blecua-Bodin, Neoen US; Click to view presentation. (PDF file).
• Utility solar on tribal lands; Ray Wiseman, Yakama Power
• An overview of the Horn Rapids Solar, Storage, and Training Project; Robin Rego, Energy Northwest; Click to view presentation. (PDF file)

4:50-5:00pm: Conference Conclusion; Rooms 404/405/406

5:00-8:00pm: Reception: Rooms 404/405/406 & Lobby

Click for the schedule and agenda. (PDF file)