Community solar is a model where multiple participants share the output and benefits of a single solar project. Instead of each site installing its own system, one community solar project — often built on a business, nonprofit, school, or community facility—serves many subscribers.
In Washington State, community solar is especially powerful because it can be paired with incentives and grants that prioritize low-income households, service providers, and tribal or public agencies.
Businesses and nonprofits can play a central role by hosting the project, co-developing it, or serving as an anchor subscriber.
Community solar isn’t just a feel-good initiative—it’s a strategic tool for managing energy costs, serving your community, and aligning with climate and equity commitments.
Use your facility roof, parking lot, or land to host a shared solar array. You can take a portion of the output for your own operations and dedicate the rest to tenants, neighbors, or community partners.
Community solar is designed to bring clean energy benefits to people who can’t install solar themselves — renters, low-income households, and essential community facilities such as clinics, shelters, and schools.
Community solar projects can combine federal tax incentives, Washington Department of Commerce grants, and WSU Community Solar Expansion Program incentives for a powerful funding stack that reduces net cost.
A visible community solar project on your site sends a strong message to customers, donors, employees, and funders that you are investing in climate solutions and energy equity—not just talking about them.
You can participate as a host site, subscriber, co-developer, or program partner. That flexibility makes community solar a fit for organizations of many sizes and sectors.
Unlock community solar projects that your business or nonprofit can lead or host—leveraging Washington State grants and the WSU Community Solar Expansion Program to deliver clean power and direct benefits to your community.
The right community solar structure depends on your facilities, service territory, and community partners. We help you choose a model that fits your goals and local utility rules.
Install a shared array on your commercial, nonprofit, school, or public building roof. This is a natural fit for organizations with good solar exposure and limited open land.
Use underutilized land for a ground-mounted array that can serve many subscribers.
Turn parking lots into sheltered, solar-producing assets that support both your operations and your subscriber community.
Combine multiple sites—such as a nonprofit campus, housing portfolio, or retail network—into a coordinated community solar offering with shared benefits and branding.
Washington State has made community solar a priority, combining incentive programs, grants, and climate funding to support projects that reduce energy burden and advance equity.
The Washington Department of Commerce administers clean energy grant programs that can support community solar and solar-plus-storage projects, particularly for tribes, local governments, nonprofits, and community-serving facilities.
These grants can often be layered with the WSU Community Solar Expansion Program and federal incentives, significantly reducing out-of-pocket project costs.
The Community Solar Expansion Program is a state incentive administered by the WSU Energy Program to support community solar projects that deliver direct, continuing benefits to low-income subscribers, low-income service providers, and qualifying tribal and public agency subscribers.
Businesses and nonprofits frequently collaborate with eligible applicants—such as utilities or housing authorities—to bring CSEP-qualified projects to life.
Washington’s Community Solar Expansion Program, administered by the WSU Energy Program, is designed to make community solar work for people who have historically been left out of the clean energy transition. It supports projects sponsored by utilities, nonprofits, tribal and local housing authorities, and other qualified entities.
A well-structured CSEP project can align your facility needs, community impact goals, and financing strategy under one program.
Program requirements and funding conditions evolve over time. Below is a summary of recent updates so that prospective project sponsors and partners have current expectations.
Due to a budget shortfall affecting administrative operations (not project incentive funding), CSEP implemented a $5,000 precertification application fee for submissions received after September 30, 2025. The fee applies only to projects that receive precertification and is included in eligible project costs that are reimbursed at certification approval.
Practical takeaway: serious projects can still move forward, but sponsors should plan for the fee upfront and confirm how it will be recovered in overall project financing.
By mid-October 2025, precertification submissions in review were forecasted to obligate approximately $25 million in funding for the FY25–FY27 biennium (July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027). New projects may continue to apply and receive precertification approval, but may not be able to submit for certification and receive their one-time incentive payment until the next biennium (July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2029).
Effective October 16, 2025, any new approved precertifications are placed on a waitlist in order of approval. If existing projects change and funding is freed up, waitlisted projects may still receive incentive payments in the current biennium.
As of November 19, 2025, the Community Solar Expansion Program has pre-certified or certified a total of $27.8 million in incentives, including:
For new projects, this underscores the importance of early planning, strong partnerships, and realistic expectations about incentive timing and biennium-based funding cycles.
What’s special about community solar in Washington? Washington state offers one of the most robust environments for community solar, combining state incentives, Department of Commerce grants, and local utility partnerships. Many projects are designed specifically to serve low-income households, service providers, tribes, and public agencies. If you aren’t sure where to start, let us guide you to a solution that’s right for you and help you fill out any applications necessary to move forward.
Whether you are a business, nonprofit, public agency, or community-based organization, we can help you evaluate your options and design a community solar project that fits your facilities, finances, and mission.
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A quick reference for common questions about community solar projects in Washington State and how your organization can participate.
Community solar is a model where one solar array serves many participants. Instead of installing panels on every building, a shared project provides credits or defined benefits to multiple subscribers based on their share of the system.
In Washington, eligible applicants for certain incentives include utilities, nonprofits, housing authorities, and other qualified entities. Businesses and nonprofits can host the project, co-develop it, or participate as subscribers in partnership with those applicants.
Commerce grants can help cover a portion of project capital costs—especially for projects that serve overburdened communities, critical facilities, or community-serving organizations. When combined with WSU incentives and federal tax benefits, these grants can significantly improve project economics.
CSEP is a state incentive administered by the WSU Energy Program that supports community solar projects benefiting low-income subscribers and community-serving entities. Projects apply for precertification, then earn a one-time incentive payment after reaching certification.
As of late 2025, a substantial portion of biennium funding has been obligated, and new precertifications may be placed on a waitlist for future biennium incentive payments. However, projects can still seek precertification and position themselves for upcoming funding cycles.
The first steps are to identify potential host sites, understand your utility territory, clarify your community impact goals, and map out relevant incentives and grants. From there, we can help you structure a project concept, partners, and a realistic timeline.
