Solar power not only provides clean, local energy; it also creates jobs and local economic development. According to a recent report, the solar industry employed more than 2,000 people in Washington in 2015, like my job, designing and selling solar systems. From Kirkland, to Woodinville, to Duvall, where I live, my customers are powering their homes with sunshine.

State legislators in Olympia are currently considering legislation (House Bill 2346) that would extend the solar incentive program that has effectively grown the solar industry in Washington.

The current incentive has a per utility cap and most utilities are reaching these caps. If legislators don’t act in March to extend the program with HB2346 then the industry will stall. By not extending the incentive now in this current legislative session, our state could dismantle the solar industry as it has grown to be today and lose out on the economic advantages of a booming solar industry.

I urge state Sen. Andy Hill to support HB 2346, so that we can continue to have a growing solar industry in Washington.

Anders Alexander, Duvall