I’m glad to be here with the people who are helping Washington build its clean energy future. Many of you know exactly what it takes to get a solar project built. You also know how frustrating it can be when a project is ready, but the financing, permits, or connection to the grid are not. You keep doing this work because you know what it can mean for people. A family can produce some of its own electricity. A business can gain more control over its energy costs. An apprentice can learn a trade and build a career.

This year’s theme, “Solar, Now More Than Ever,” speaks to the moment we are in. Washington needs more electricity, and solar needs to be a big part of how we meet meet our energy demand. And our goal should be to build more clean energy and make sure more people benefit from it.

I come to this work as an environmental scientist. I have a degree in ecology, and I am a former Issaquah City Council member, so I have that local government background. I'm currently the Vice Chair of Energy, Environment, and Technology in the Washington State Senate. Before these roles, I worked for Breakthrough Energy, a Bill Gates-funded group, where I was an analyst modeling the U.S. electric grid.

I often think back to the three components of what is sort of a decision-making triangle: you can overbuild transmission, overbuild renewable energy, and then, of course, there is storage. Within that decision space we need to make critical investments, and there are a lot of different ways we can get to a solution. Solar is a big part of that.

Growing demand

More and more people are using electricity to cool and heat their homes. We know this in Washington, and that's a good thing. We are electrifying homes and businesses. We are increasingly using electricity to power our vehicles as we electrify transportation, also a very good thing, and our economy is growing. I know there is a lot of discussion at this conference about data centers, which are a big part of the projected energy demand. Data centers are making decisions right now about the energy they will use, and that makes the work you do in this space that much more important.

They are pushing us to address challenges that will be coming to the state legislature, and I think it's a really interesting and critical moment for the state. We have a looming energy crisis and a big demand coming online, and we need to make these decisions now. I think that is an opportunity, and an opportunity in a really big way.

There was recently a Seattle Times article, which you may have seen, with projections of demand. Demand from electrifying vehicles is going up, with a small uncertainty band over the next couple of decades. Demand from electrifying homes, businesses, and buildings is also increasing, again with a small uncertainty band. Then, very close to today, there is a huge uncertainty band going into the future for how much demand will come from data centers. We know that demand is going to come earlier, but we don't know how much is coming. That's a big challenge we're going to need to address, and I hope we address it with clean, renewable energy, of which solar is a big part.

We need good information about how much electricity these projects will need, and when they will need it. A project someone is considering is different from one that is definitely moving forward, and our planning should account for that difference.

Right now we have a big challenge with interconnection queues. When a project is trying to connect to the grid, it may be waiting behind many other projects, and some of those projects may not actually be ready to go. Utilities are trying to figure out which projects are speculative and which are really ready, and how to process those different requests. We're looking at that at the state level as well: how we can support our utilities and make sure projects that are ready to go are able to connect to the grid.

We also need clear rules about who pays. Families and small businesses should be protected from unfair costs and risks as large new loads are brought onto the grid. I imagine there will be a lot of conversation about affordability at this conference, and it is something we are very much working on at the state level. In parts of the country, we have seen large industrial and data center loads introduced into communities, and rates have skyrocketed. We need to protect our ratepayers from that kind of impact, and that takes clear regulatory policy.

Our grid is also connected to other states, and we share many of the same challenges as our neighbors. Bonneville Power controls about 75% of our grid, and Oregon has the same challenges. It's been great to see how Oregon and Washington can work together and learn from each other. Oregon just recently passed a great microgrid policy, and we can learn from that. (Shout out to microgrids in the back.) All of our transmission lines, if we plan correctly, should be connecting us to our neighboring states.

What solar offers

We know demand will grow, and solar gives us several ways to meet it. Solar can go on homes and businesses, communities can develop shared projects, which I think is very exciting, and larger solar facilities can supply power to the wider grid.

Producing more of our own electricity also gives us greater control over our energy future and greater energy independence, which I think is very important. Solar technology has improved, and costs have gone way down. Think about the first solar panels that went into space, which were hugely expensive. Over time, as we've achieved economies of scale, the drop in cost has become one of the great success stories. Some of the challenge now is making sure costs stay affordable and that we continue to benefit from the lower cost of this technology. It's important to let people know that the cost of this technology has gone way down and that clean electricity is affordable.

There are other costs involved in deploying solar at scale. The real cost of a real project includes the financing, the workers, the permits, and getting connected, and we need to pay attention to all of those. Often those costs dwarf the cost of the infrastructure itself.

Of course, solar only produces electricity when the sun is shining, and this comes up quite a bit in discussions with my colleagues. The good news is that, paired with battery energy storage, we have a way to store that energy, and paired with other clean and renewable technologies, we have ways to keep both firm power and reliable intermittent sources on the grid while decarbonizing it.

Solar can work alongside more transmission with better technologies, including reconductoring transmission lines on existing corridors. We can also have more efficient buildings and battery energy storage. With all of these pieces of the puzzle, I think we can go a long way toward meeting Washington's energy goals.

Permitting and transmission

I talked a little about the challenges in permitting. It's something I'm working on during this interim, and it's something we hear about from developers, from utilities, and from everyone who wants to see more solar projects permitted and built. A long delay raises costs. It can push construction into another year, or cause investors or customers to walk away.

We need to understand where those delays happen and what we can do about them. Sometimes the process needs to be clearer. Sometimes an agency needs more staff. Sometimes the electric system needs an upgrade before a project can connect. One thing I would really love to hear from you about is specifics: where a state-level policy has hit a roadblock, and what we might be able to do in the State Senate to help you overcome those barriers.

Last session, I sponsored Senate Bill 6355 to create the Washington Electric Transmission Authority, and I was very glad it got across the finish line. It sets us down a path toward more transmission from where energy is produced to where it needs to be used by people in the population centers across Washington. I like to describe this as the highways: we need to get energy from where it's produced to where it's consumed. That's extremely important, and even more so when we're using intermittent sources like solar.

The new authority gives Washington a way to help utilities and other partners plan and build the lines we need. Its responsibilities also include helping improve existing lines with technologies such as reconductoring, which allows existing corridors to carry more power, and supporting local energy resources. The law also includes requirements for skilled workers and apprentices, and a process for developing standards in consultation with our tribes, which is always a very important part of our work.

Creating the authority was a good first step, but it was just one step. We also need to make sure the process works for the local connections that allow solar projects to operate. There are a lot of challenges not only with high-voltage transmission but also once you get down to the local level. That will mean clear requirements, timely decisions, and early information about any upgrades that are needed. A project waiting to be connected is not going to lower anyone's bill, and right now I am very much interested in doing whatever we can to help people keep their bills down.

Building codes

The same practical approach applies to building codes. I just had a discussion, before my talk, about parking codes and making sure our parking garages are ready for more EVs. We currently require conduit to make parking EV-ready, but we could go further, and we should, because more and more EVs are being sold in the state and more people are choosing to go electric. We should absolutely support that with our building codes.

We also need rules that keep people safe and make it clear how solar batteries can be installed. That's another area we're working on. My experience in local government is helping me make sure local governments understand these technologies and know how to produce codes at the city or local level that support the deployment of more solar, more batteries, and more electrification of vehicles and homes.

Affordability and who benefits

One of the upcoming sessions at this conference will focus on affordability, which is hugely important. I'm really glad you are working on that, and I'm excited to learn from that discussion.

I love talking wonky about energy policy, but this is where it becomes real for most of our communities and most people. People want to know whether they can afford to heat their home and whether their bills are going to keep going up. A small business owner wants to know what it will cost to keep operating. Solar can help customers take the edge off those costs. The savings depend, of course, on the system, its cost, and the rules, and all of that is involved in the policymaking we need to do.

People deserve really clear information about costs and savings. I think it's also great that we're increasingly thinking about who can participate and who can benefit from having solar panels and battery energy storage. Many people rent, some have roofs that won't work for solar, and others cannot afford the upfront cost. Shared solar projects and projects serving affordable housing can help more people take part. We should also look carefully at what our policies mean for customers who don't have solar, and that's where the new report from the Washington State Academy of Sciences can help guide some of those decisions. That report is the reason the state asked for that information, and now that we have it, I'm really excited to get to work using it.

The report looks at how our rules can help solar and batteries provide more benefits. It highlights the value of using them together and the need to design policies that reach more people, ultimately all Washingtonians. It doesn't give us one rate or one answer, which is actually very helpful. It also doesn't settle every question about how costs are shared, but it gives us a good basis for those discussions. With conversation among you, stakeholders, and that report, I think we'll be in a really good position to have those discussions next legislative session.

Federal changes and state resources

Federal changes have made all of this work harder. The federal tax credit for new residential solar and battery systems ended December 31st, 2025, and the equivalent commercial federal tax credit ends in 2027. That changes what families can afford and what businesses can offer them.

Washington has a limited budget, and we need to make very careful choices about what the state can support and how we can make the biggest difference. I'm especially focused on reducing unnecessary delays and expediting permitting. Grant programs are very challenging right now, so I think finding solutions in the process space will be increasingly helpful.

Commerce also provides excellent technical assistance. It helps communities study whether a solar or battery project would work, what it might cost, and what they would need to build it. I think that's an excellent state resource that we should build on and make sure everybody knows about. For an organization with a small staff, it can be a game changer.

In the last two sessions, I introduced a bill to provide grants for residential batteries and to get pilot programs started in the virtual power plant space, which I think is a really exciting area. Having run this bill twice in that form, I recognize we may need to pair it with other policies or take a different strategy. That's something I would love to partner with you on, so that we start pilot programs on exciting technologies like virtual power plants and then build on them without losing momentum once the pilot ends. I'm really interested in introducing it again, getting it across the finish line, and working with you.

Resilience and microgrids

We need to measure progress not only by how much power we can get on the grid but also by what happens when the power goes out. I'm in the very forested 5th legislative district, which was one of the hardest hit, perhaps the hardest hit, by the bomb cyclone several winters ago. During that storm the winds came from an unusual direction, and so many trees came down across our region, with such high winds, that power lines were down all across it. People were without power for many days.

One instructive thing about that experience was that the community came together. We had a resilience hub in Issaquah where people could use batteries to charge their phones so they could communicate with friends and family and let them know they were okay. They could charge their hearing aids and the other things people need to go about their day-to-day lives. Resilience hubs and backup power are a really important part of the puzzle, and they drive home the importance of making these technologies accessible to people. People can absolutely understand that: if there's a power outage and they need to charge a hearing aid, there's a place to do it, and that's based on stored energy.

Solar batteries and the right backup equipment really help in this regard. A microgrid is a local power system designed to serve a group of buildings or facilities, and it's also very exciting technology. With the right equipment and enough energy, it can help keep essential services operating when the larger grid goes down. I recently toured the Arlington microgrid and the solar out there. I'm probably preaching to the choir, but if you haven't toured it, I really recommend it. It's an excellent facility and a very cool tour. Microgrid technology is another thing we can work on supporting at the state level, and it will really help our communities.

Jobs and efficiency

A big focus of our next legislative session will be jobs. None of the projects or technologies I've been talking about get built without skilled laborers who know how to build them. We need electricians, installers, and workers who can design and maintain these systems. We also need people who can review plans and help projects get through the process.

Apprenticeships, and working with labor to make sure we support labor in these conversations, give people a real way into this work while they earn a paycheck. Signing people up and getting them ready for these careers is just the first step. I recently attended a graduation for the Career Connect program, which makes sure apprentices have what they need to continue their apprenticeship: getting to job sites and having the equipment to get started. That kind of state support for apprentices and workers is, I believe, really essential. Employers also need enough confidence in the future workforce to invest in that training. As we discuss jobs heading into next legislative session, I want the solar industry and the building trades to help shape that conversation. Building our energy system should create good jobs and give more people a chance to build a career.

We are also looking at ways to use energy more efficiently. Better buildings can reduce how much electricity we use, and shared heating and cooling systems, sometimes called district energy, are another area where we're working on state energy policy.

Looking ahead

Looking ahead, I want us to focus on getting good projects built sooner, keeping bills affordable, and connecting people with the skills and opportunities to do this work. Your experience can really help us decide which changes would make the biggest difference.

Now, does anyone here like baking, or like watching baking shows, or like eating baked goods? Okay, good, we've got some hands, thank you. We are a part-time legislature, and I raise this because we are in the interim right now. A bill has a much better chance of passing if it is baked to the extent we can before session, so that only the finishing touches remain. We have very limited time once we get into session to move a bill through the committees, to the House of Representatives, and then to the governor's desk. That has to happen fast, so the stakeholdering, the baking of these policies and bills, needs to happen right now. This is great timing for me to hear from all of you, because this is when we are doing that bill development.

As you listen to the presentations and talk to each other, please think about specific policies we might work on together. Please bring me examples. I love examples. Those are what really resonate with me, and they show me how I can help you address the problems you're seeing out there as you build solar and help us get to our clean energy goals. Those details really matter, and they help us make better policy.

Washington has committed to a clean energy future. We have great goals, and I truly believe in them. Now we need to make that commitment work. I want families to see the benefits in their energy bills. I want an apprentice to see the career ahead. And I want a community preparing for the next storm to know there's a resilience hub with battery backup ready for them. You are already doing a lot of this work, so my job, and the legislature's job, is to help make it possible for you to do more and get projects built sooner.

When we gather again, I hope this conference grows and grows and grows and we bring more people into the conversation. I had a conversation with David right before my talk about making sure this conference expands the voices in this space for solar project development. I think it's a really exciting time, and the state is poised to use solar in a big way to meet our clean energy goals.

So let's build more solar energy that Washington can use, and let's make sure people are benefiting from that clean, reliable energy. Thank you all so much!

-State Senator Victoria Hunt represents Washington’s 5th Legislative District in southeast King County.  She was kind enough to give the keynote address at the Washington State Solar Summit on October 9th, 2026 at South Seattle College.