In June 2024, Solar Washington interviewed Daniel Marshall, a member and a board member of Solar Washington.

Solar Washington: How did you become interested in solar? 
Daniel Marshall: I remember being intrigued by solar as a kid during the 80’s and 90’s. Growing up with actual calculators that had a little strip of solar cells. I know I wasn’t the only one in class who was amused by the magic of the making the numbers on screen fade in and out through variations of a blocking the cells with my hand or an eraser. It felt like a magical power as a kid, and solar continued to pique my curiosity since. Fast forward to 2016, when I started working for PSE. I had the opportunity to be part of the team handling the Net metering interconnection applications! I spent the next 7 years doing what I loved, working with a great community of the solar installers, touring manufacturing facilities, getting on a few roofs, and watching the industry advance from mainly solar into more complex system designs with solar + battery storage. I continue to be excited for the industry, as microgrids, EVs, and an entire ecosystem starts to take shape that incorporates “Solar + X”.

SW: Why did you join Solar Washington (and its board)?
DM: I attended my first Solar Summit in 2017, and it was eye opening for me. Hearing from speakers that shared their expertise and knowledge beyond the utility lens that I was looking through, helped me really understand the value of the Solar Summit and Solar Washington itself. It was several years of attending Summits, before my coworker and one of the departing board members floated the idea of me becoming an individual member. A few conversations later and I became a member and then ran for -- and was elected to -- the board as well!

SW: What do you expect from Solar Washington?

DM: I expect to continue learning from the community of SolarWA members. With my focus coming from the utility side, getting the chance to interact and learn from experts in solar design, installation, policy, law, insurance, as well as consumers holds a lot of value to me and the work that I do.

SW: What is next for you regarding solar? 
DM: Looking at the relationship between electric vehicles and solar is what is next for me. I recently joined the Customer Energy Solutions team at Tacoma Power, focusing on e-Mobility, where I’m starting to look at how EV charging may affect the grid. In the solar industry, we often talk about the duck curve. Add EV charging to the mix and the curve gets more interesting with peak load ramping up in the evening, when solar generation is falling. Could batteries in EVs be used to help capture excess generation and reshape the duck curve if V2X becomes part of the equation? Possibly. It is certainly an ongoing topic that I’m excited to be thinking about.