It wasn’t an extremely hot day, but Mike O’Brien was sweating as he climbed up a ladder at a home in Georgetown, carrying hoses for heat pump installation. Trading bow ties and button-ups for faded flannel and Blundstones.
O’Brien is still the affable, friendly, and chatty guy from City Hall. At 55, and four years retired from politics, O’Brien’s youthful enthusiasm carries him through a job requiring more manual labor than his role on the Seattle City Council. “Yeah, it’s hard work. It’s exhausting, but good exhausting.”
Washington’s solar industry is booming. The end of 2021 saw a record number of residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar projects installed, in part due to the solar investment programs designed by the state of Washington in 2005 and again in 2017. Homeowners and building owners who install solar see their electricity costs plummet and enjoy the clean energy the sun provides to keep their homes and workspaces warm and comfy while simultaneously reducing their reliance on the fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. Unfortunately, solar still remains out of reach for millions of Washingtonians due to upfront costs, unsuitable roofs, and tree cover. Furthermore, about half the people in the state rent their homes.
