Public Policy Objective
The Legislature stated its intent for this preference was to provide incentives for:
- The greater use of locally created renewable energy technologies; and
- Supporting and retaining existing local industries, and creating new opportunities for renewable energy industries to develop in Washington.
Recommendations
Legislative Auditor’s Recommendation
Review and Clarify: While there has been growth in locally made systems and associated opportunities for businesses, this growth is concentrated in a small number of solar energy system manufacturers. As part of the clarification, the Legislature should include targets for how many new local renewable energy systems it hopes to create and how much power capacity it hopes to generate through the use of this preference, as well as which local industries it would like to support.
