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Residents press for private community solar recognition; supporters and skeptics spar over scale and process
Summary
Council discussion centered on asking state legislators to require utilities to include privately funded community solar projects in billing practices; proponents described small distributed arrays and resilience benefits while others raised concerns about scale, aesthetics and permitting.
Supporters told the council that a state-law change could let privately funded community solar installations be treated the same as utility-run community solar for billing, allowing subscribers to receive a credit for power generated. Kevin (speaker 7), who proposed the community-solar question, said the change would not alter permitting or zoning — it would only require utilities to recognize private community solar for billing purposes.
“This question has nothing to do with permitting process or zoning or any of those other things,” Kevin said while clarifying that permitting and public review would still apply for any installation that exceeds homeowner needs. He added that community solar can be as small as a few panels serving a neighborhood and can provide resilience during outages.
Residents raised counterpoints: some warned that permitting and siting risks could generate local opposition if large arrays were proposed, while others asked for clearer technical definitions. A councilor noted an island property owner had expressed interest in privately funding a community solar installation and that any such project would still go through standard public permitting processes.
Why it matters: If legislators change billing rules to include privately owned community solar, it could enable more grassroots energy projects on Vashon and elsewhere. Councilors asked staff to refine the final forum question to make clear that the proposed change concerns billing recognition rather than permitting.
What’s next: The community-solar question was the runner-up in the council’s vote to select forum questions; staff will refine the question language and include clarifying language about permitting and scale before presenting it at the Sept. 24 forum.
