A 4,680 Watt all Made in Washington photovoltaic (PV) solar system can be installed for around $35,000 or around $7.50 per Watt. 

This price will likely increase if the array is located far away from the service connection, as trenching, electrical labor, and larger wire are required. Other things like the quality and type of the array foundation will increase the cost of the install.  This may be a better option, as the install will look more attractive for the 30 years you will have it. 

How Does It Pay Off?   

An all Made in Washington PV System, like all grid-tied PV systems, will get you a 30% Federal Tax Credit off the complete installation and material costs.  

The State of Washington, through your local utility company, will give you 54 cents for every kilowatt hour (kWh) produced by your all Made in Washington PV system until June 30, 2020.

This is on top of the savings you will get from your local onsite electrical generation, which will last for around 30 years with an inverter replacement after 15.   

How does this all pencil out?  In looking at the optimal configuration (i.e. facing true south, array set at a 30 degree angle, and no shading throughout the year), a 4,680 Watt all Made in Washington PV system should pay for itself in about 6.5 years.  If you consider the increase in your home value, the system will pay off in just over 3 years! 

Array shading, aspect, and angle, have a lot to do with the performance of your solar array.  Washington State Incentives are based on performance, so better designed systems will pay off sooner.  Make sure to hire a good company that will take the time to design a system right.  

For a better look how this all works, check out the Return on Investment (ROI) analysis for the above discribed PV system.   Made in Washington ROI