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<< Previous   of   Next >> Heidi Hoffman / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Adam Grunke monitors a machine as it welds together solar cells at Silicon Energy in Arlington earlier this month. (click to enlarge) Grunke peers into a machine at Silicon Energy in Arlington.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, October 25, 2009 Silicon Energy of Arlington crafts a sleeker kind of solar panel By Michelle Dunlop Herald Writer ARLINGTON — Sometimes it's what you don't see that makes a product special. When you stand beneath a solar panel built by Arlington's Silicon Energy, you won't see jumbled, ugly wires or opaque padding. You'll see blue from the silicon cells and sunlight streaming through. “It makes a better-looking product and a safer one,” said Gary Shaver, president and chief executive of Silicon Energy. The state's first solar panel manufacturer, Silicon Energy's product just entered this market this summer, when the company received certification from Underwriters Laboratory for its solar modules. The UL's stamp of approval means that Silicon Energy's solar panels meet product safety and compliance guidelines. The certification process took longer than Silicon Energy's Shaver expected. But that's not unheard of when you're doing something different — like hiding the panel's electrical gear in small, protected side panels and sandwiching silicon between supersturdy glass. Silicon Energy's product is more expensive than some on the market. The company promotes its solar modules as “beautiful, strong and durable.” “We're not a cheap product,” Shaver said. Silicon Energy prices a 1.4 kilowatt panel between $11,000 and $14,000. But government incentives are making solar panels an attractive product for consumers, businesses and utilities. The federal government offers a tax credit to consumers for up to 30 percent of the purchase and installation costs for a solar panel system. The state has a production incentive of 15 cents to 54 cents per kilowatt hour, with power produced from Washington-made products receiving the higher amount. And the state has made it easier for Silicon Energy to do business in Washington, offering a 43 percent reduction from the standard business and occupations tax rate for solar manufacturers. Additionally, local utilities, such as Snohomish County's PUD, provide further incentives to consumers for solar power. Silicon Energy designed its solar panels to withstand 125 pounds per square foot, making the product durable enough to endure high winds and heavy snows. The company's solar panels can be used for canopies, carports and awnings, as well as more traditional roof installations or wall installations. Eight panels could provide 40 percent to 50 percent of a typical home's electricity, Shaver said. As a small start-up company, Silicon Energy is a little slow on the production side, but it's picking up the pace, Shaver said. Together with its parent company, OutBack Power Systems, Silicon employs about 20 people. While the company is providing some jobs on the manufacturing side, Shaver sees his company helping to create green jobs on the installation and power distribution side of the industry. And that's what drew kudos from Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., when Silicon Energy got the OK to start selling UL-certified products this summer. “The certification again shows us that Washington leads the way in the clean energy economy,” Inslee said. Despite the rain, Western Washington has an excellent climate for solar power production, Shaver said. It's a popular misconception that solar panels work best in hot, dry sites. “Our spring, summer and fall are spectacular for generating energy,” Shaver said. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out Not happening I currently own a 1.7KW array that is all US built and have been following this new company since they started especially since we can get 54 cents / KWH from a WA state incentive program. There are still no WA made panels that meet this requirement. I was very excited to hear that they would be producing the very first one. However lately I have heard some very disappointing information. The first production year no one will see. Cause they sold out to the power companies. (So far just a year but we all know how that goes) Just look at Nano Solar now owned by the power co. Second, I heard that the panels will only be assembled here. Some other slave nation will get the rest. Third, If they were avail at $8 - $10/Watt they are twice of what a actual American made panel is. Can't we get someone in WA state to build a reasonably priced UL rated panel to the average homeowner. My whole system cost including GT inverter and batteries was 15K Thanks, J J H | Oct 26, 2009 7:20 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Did I do the math rightA? So if it takes 8 panels to make 50% of the electricity needed - that is $88,000 not counting installation and at the lowest price. My electricity bill is somewhere around $1,000 annually, but if I switched to entirely electric heat it might be closer to $2,500 at a high. So, if I saved 50% on electricity at 1,250 annually, it would be at least 8 years to pay for one panel, 60 plus years to pay for 8 without accounting for the cost of installation, or interest on the $88,000 loan, but maybe the tax incentive would level that some? I applaud this company for heading in the right direction and being innovative, and their product will be great for people living where they cannot be easily wired in to the electrical grid, but I don't see how it can be economical or affordable for the average person to buy their product. One of the best ways to use solar energy is to design houses that are well insulated and oriented on their site to take in maximum solar energy in winter and are shaded on the hottest days in summer. Unfortunately, most houses today are being built to maximize the number of lots in a subdivision, rather than with any consideration of maximizing solar gain. T G | Oct 26, 2009 8:16 am | 1 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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