By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Once the money is gone, it really is gone. That’s the news out of Washington state care of the Tri-City Herald, where an article warns potential solar consumers that they must get their applications in now if they want the full solar incentives available to them.

As the article notes:

Some home or business owners in Richland planning to install solar panels likely are facing a drop in rates in the city program that buys electricity from small solar systems.

And now a state tax incentive program is expected to run out of money soon, likely shutting many homeowners and businesses that plan to install solar out of getting the benefit.

The problem here is apparently twofold. First, the compensation structure is set to drop significantly at the end of the year. Secondly, the pool of state money set aside to encourage solar installations – originally set by the legislature at $110 million – is a hard cap, meaning there is no more money available to potential solar consumers once the money runs out.

Time is running short for potential solar consumers to apply for all of the incentives available to them. They must get their application into Washington state before February 14, 2019, but the catch is that the system must be up and running two weeks before that to qualify for full net metering and whatever money is left in the state coffers to subsidize the installation.

After that, installations will be put on a wait list to see if there is any money left over in the state fund. If not, then those solar consumers will find themselves out of luck.

The article also notes that there’s an outside chance the Washington legislature could add more money into the fund, but one advocate warns that it took four years for the original bill to pass in 2017, so solar consumers shouldn’t count on the legislature being any more timely this time around