The incentive payment rate is the sum of the base rate and the made-in-Washington bonus, if applicable. To determine the incentive payment, the incentive payment rate is then multiplied by the system's gross kilowatt-hours generated during the fiscal year to determine the incentive payment.
(1) Determining the base rate. The first step in computing the incentive payment is to determine the correct base rate to apply. This rate depends on the fiscal year in which the system was certified and the type of renewable energy project under consideration, as defined in the table in subsection (2) of this section.
(2) Made-in-Washington bonus. The bonus rate is determined by whether all applicable system components (solar modules, wind turbines or towers) are manufactured in Washington state. See additional manufacturing details in Part V of this chapter. Bonus rates vary depending on the fiscal year in which the system is certified, as provided in the table below.
Fiscal year of system certification | Base rate: Residential-scale | Base rate: Commercial-scale | Base rate: Community solar | Base rate: Shared commercial solar | Made-in-Washington bonus |
2018 | $0.16 | $0.06 | $0.16 | $0.06 | $0.05 |
2019 | $0.14 | $0.04 | $0.14 | $0.04 | $0.04 |
2020 | $0.12 | $0.02 | $0.12 | $0.02 | $0.03 |
2021 | $0.10 | $0.02 | $0.10 | $0.02 | $0.02 |
(3) Examples: A renewable energy system certified in fiscal year 2019 and generate:
(a) Residential-scale system: Two thousand five hundred kilowatt-hours; commercial-scale system: Fourteen thousand kilowatt-hours.
(i) If a residential-scale or commercial-scale renewable energy system has only solar modules manufactured out-of-state, the computation is as follows:
(A) Residential-scale: 0.14 × 2,500 = $350.00;
(B) Commercial-scale: 0.04 × 14,000 = $560.00.
(ii) If a residential-scale or commercial-scale renewable energy system has all solar modules manufactured in Washington state, the computation is as follows:
(A) Residential-scale: (0.14 + 0.04) × 2,500 = $450.00;
(B) Commercial-scale: (0.04 + 0.04) × 14,000 = $1,120.00.
(iii) If a residential-scale or commercial-scale renewable energy system has a solar module manufactured in Washington state combined with additional solar modules manufactured out-of-state, the computation would be as follows:
(A) Residential-scale: 0.14 × 2,500 = $350.00;
(B) Commercial-scale: 0.04 × 14,000 = $560.00.
(iv) If residential-scale or commercial-scale wind generator equipment has an out-of-state turbine combined with a tower manufactured in Washington state, the computation is as follows:
(A) Residential-scale: (0.14 + 0.04) × 2,500 = $450.00;
(B) Commercial-scale: (0.04 + 0.04) × 14,000 = $1,120.00.
(v) If residential-scale wind generator equipment has both an out-of-state turbine and tower, the computation is as follows:
(A) Residential-scale: 0.14 × 2,500 = $350.00;
(B) Commercial-scale: 0.04 × 14,000 = $560.00.
(b) Shared commercial solar project system: Four million kilowatt-hours.
(i) If a shared commercial system has out-of-state solar modules, the computation is as follows: 0.04 × 4,000,000 = $160,000.00. The solar project administrator distributes the incentive payments consistent with share of participation. If a participant is involved at five percent of the project, their incentive payment is $160,000.00 × 0.05 = $8,000.00 (contingent on the rates, fees, terms or conditions of the project).
(ii) If a shared commercial system has all solar modules manufactured in Washington state, the computation is as follows: (0.04 + 0.04) × 4,000,000 = $320,000.00. The solar project administrator distributes the incentive payments consistent with share of participation. If a participant is involved at five percent of the project, their incentive payment is $320,000.00 × 0.05 = $16,000.00 (contingent on the rates, fees, terms or conditions of the project).
(c) Community solar project system: Fifty thousand kilowatt-hours.
(i) If a community solar energy system has all solar modules manufactured in Washington state combined with an out-of-state inverter, the computation is as follows: (0.14 + 0.04) × 50,000 = $9,000.00. The solar project administrator distributes the incentive payments consistent with share of participation. If a participant is involved at five percent of the project, their incentive payment is $9,000.00 × 0.05 = $450.00 (contingent on the rates, fees, terms or conditions of the project).
(ii) If a community solar energy system has some solar modules manufactured in Washington state combined with additional solar modules manufactured out-of-state, the computation is as follows: 0.14 × 50,000 = $7,000.00. The solar project administrator distributes the incentive payments consistent with share of participation. If a participant is involved at five percent of the project, their incentive payment is $7,000.00 × 0.05 = $350.00 (contingent on the rates, fees, terms or conditions of the project).