What a New Washington Study Means for Solar + Storage
Beyond Net Metering: What a New Washington Study Means for Solar + Storage
For nearly 30 years, Washington’s net metering policy has helped homeowners go solar by allowing them to earn credits for excess electricity sent to the grid. But as more utilities approach the limits set by the state’s original law, Washington is considering what should come next.
A new report from the Washington State Academy of Sciences (WSAS), released October 1, examines how the state can better recognize the value of rooftop solar and battery storage. Presented by WSAS Senior Project Director Donna Gerardi at the October 9 Washington Solar Summit, the findings offer important insights for homeowners considering solar.
Here are four key takeaways.
1. Pairing solar with battery storage can deliver greater benefits
One of the report’s clearest findings: storage attachment is the single most consequential variable in realizing system benefits. Solar-plus-storage installations can provide higher benefits than solar-only systems across every factor the study evaluated.
Solar panels generate electricity when the sun is shining. A battery can store some of that energy for later, helping homeowners use more of their own solar power and potentially providing backup electricity during an outage.
2. How batteries are used matters as much as installing them
Adding a battery doesn’t automatically maximize its value. How it’s operated, including when it charges and discharges, can affect the benefits it provides to homeowners and the broader electric grid.
The report emphasizes that effective policies should encourage not just battery installation, but also operation that delivers useful outcomes. That could include shifting electricity use to more valuable times or helping utilities address specific grid needs.
3. Washington needs a coordinated approach to solar policy
The report finds that no single policy mechanism captures all the potential benefits of distributed solar and storage. Instead, Washington should consider a coordinated portfolio of approaches, including retail-rate design, grid-services tariffs, deployment incentives, and utility procurement.
These mechanisms serve different purposes: some influence how customers are compensated for electricity, while others encourage particular grid services or help overcome barriers to adopting solar and storage.
4. The next net metering policy needs to balance benefits and costs
The study also recognizes an important challenge: solar and storage can provide value to the grid, but policy decisions must account for costs, too.
For example, changes to how utilities compensate customers for exported electricity can affect both solar owners’ bill savings and the costs borne by other ratepayers. Battery storage can create additional system costs, but those costs can be managed through thoughtful program design and operational requirements.
The report recommends evaluating these trade-offs together rather than looking at incentives, rate design, and grid services in isolation. The goal is a policy framework that supports a reliable, affordable, equitable, and clean energy future.
Want to go solar before 1:1 Net Metering changes?
Washington’s 1:1 Net Metering policy helps the average Seattle homeowner save up to $10,000 in energy costs. If you’re curious about solar, now is a smart time to talk to a local design consultant to see if solar makes financial sense for your home, usage, and energy goals.
Author Bio:
Sarah Taylor (she/her) is the marketing director for Solterra Solar. With a decade of experience helping mission-driven organizations connect with their audiences, she blends utility, empathy, and artistry to craft content that drives measurable business growth and positive change in local communities. When she isn’t poring over words with hot tea in hand, you can find her exploring the PNW’s unrivaled wild spaces or gently persuading her indoor cat, Lemon, to embrace life as an adventure cat.
