Washington Solar Energy Industries Association

What Washington Solar Energy Industries Association does

Washington Solar Energy Industries Association (WASEIA) is a nonprofit professional trade association incorporated in Washington State, originally founded in 2013 as Solar Installers of Washington (SIW) and rebranded to its current name around 2020-2021. The organization serves as the unified policy and lobbying voice for solar industry organizations and professionals across Washington State, operating across the full solar value chain — installers, distributors, financiers, and individual supporters — with voting membership subject to Board of Directors approval.

WASEIA does not develop proprietary technology products. Its core service offering is membership-based, delivering legislative and regulatory advocacy (at the state legislature, Utilities and Transportation Commission, and other agencies), industry self-regulation through a Code of Conduct, consumer-facing tools such as the Find a Solar Installer directory, and educational resources including inspection checklists, federal tax credit guides, and the SEIA Residential Installation Best Practices Guide. It also operates advocacy initiatives (Stand Up For Solar campaign, VOSS study support, net metering protection) and runs annual events including the Dignified Celebration of Solar, the joint Pacific Northwest Solar Conference with OSEIA, and the Solar Harvest Festival.

The association funds itself through membership dues (priced by organizational type and gross revenue), multi-tier event sponsorships (Community Builder at $4,250 member/$8,500 non-member up to Solar All-Access at $11,500/$15,000), individual Solar Ambassador memberships at $50/year, and ancillary event tickets. As of its 2021 leadership refresh, governance is provided by a member-elected Board of Directors and a full-time Executive Director (Allison Arnold, since January 2018). WASEIA represents an industry that comprised over 4,000 solar jobs in Washington as of 2018, with the state's rooftop PV adoption sitting at only 17% of the national average — a structural growth backdrop that anchors WASEIA's policy and consumer-protection mandate.

Name

Washington Solar Energy Industries Association

Legal name

Washington Solar Energy Industries Association, Inc.

Website

https://waseia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WASEIA is a nonprofit professional trade association representing Washington's solar value chain, providing legislative advocacy, industry self-regulation, consumer protection, and networking events for member installers, distributors, and financiers across the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Organizations and professionals pay membership dues based on organizational type and annual gross revenue. Voting Members receive full rights and privileges including the right to vote, hold office, and chair committees.
2. Event Sponsorships: Annual event sponsorships at various tiers (Gigawatt, Megawatt, Kilowatt levels) providing brand visibility at Dignified Celebration of Solar, Pacific Northwest Solar Conference, and Solar Harvest Festival.
3. Individual Donations: Solar Ambassador individual memberships at $50/year and general donations to support WASEIA's advocacy efforts.
4. Event Tickets: Carnival tickets sold at $30 per person for End of Summer Soiree event.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WASEIA is a nonprofit professional trade association serving as the unified voice for solar energy businesses and professionals in Washington State. Its core offering is membership-based advocacy, providing organizations and professionals across the solar value chain with legislative lobbying, policy representation, consumer protection standards, networking events, and educational resources. Revenue is derived from annual membership dues, event sponsorships, individual donations, and ticket sales.

Product overview

WASEIA is a professional trade association serving as a unified voice for solar energy businesses in Washington State. Rather than offering a unified software product, the association provides a portfolio of membership services including voting membership for solar industry organizations, consumer-facing tools like the Find a Solar Installer directory, educational resources (guides, checklists, tax credit information), advocacy programs (Stand Up For Solar campaign, VOSS study support, legislative lobbying), and annual events (Dignified Celebration of Solar, Pacific Northwest Solar Conference, Solar Harvest Festival). The organization also offers a Solar Ambassador program for individual supporters. WASEIA's member companies are held to a Code of Conduct standard, and the association advocates for policies supporting net metering, battery storage incentives, and consumer protection in solar transactions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WASEIA Membership Voting membership program for organizations and professionals in the solar value chain, providing access to events, resources, trainings, policy advocacy, and industry networking through quarterly newsletters, member calls, and legislative updates. Membership is priced based on organizational type and annual gross revenue and requires Board approval.
• Find a Solar Installer Directory Online directory connecting consumers with vetted WASEIA member solar installation companies who adhere to the organization's Code of Conduct; searchable by location and radius.
• Solar Ambassador Program $50 annual individual membership offering the Stand Up for Solar Newsletter, bumper sticker, and entrance to WASEIA events for non-industry supporters.
• Dignified Celebration of Solar (DCS) Annual spring networking event and meeting held in Tacoma featuring exclusive industry gathering and celebration of the solar industry.
• Pacific Northwest Solar Conference Joint regional conference hosted with OSEIA featuring technical workshops, policy updates, and networking for solar installers and vendors across the Northwest.
• Solar Harvest Festival (SHF) Annual autumn gathering celebrating solar industry progress with family-friendly activities and professional networking.
• WASEIA Code of Conduct Member Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct that all WASEIA members must agree to abide by, enforced through the membership approval process.
• Stand Up For Solar Campaign Grassroots advocacy campaign enabling supporters to contact legislators about net metering and solar policy issues using a district lookup tool.
• Value of Solar and Storage (VOSS) Study Support WASEIA-led initiative funding and advocating for the Washington Academy of Sciences study to establish fair NEM valuation methodology across Washington utilities.
• End of Summer Soiree Carnival Annual carnival event and fundraiser with $30 per person tickets, held at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Ballard (Seattle).

Quantifiable outcome

• Solar job growth of 18% in Washington in 2018, adding at least 600 new jobs to reach over 4,000 solar jobs state-wide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, minor and supporting.

• Washington Department of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2024WASEIA collaborated closely with the Washington Department of Commerce to draft and shape the Solar Consumer Protection Act (SHB2156). The partnership also included working on the Value of Solar and Storage study funding.
• Washington State University Energy ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 March 2023WSU Energy Program implements and administers Washington's 10-year/$100 million community solar incentive program for low-income sector per House Bill 1814. WASEIA collaborated with WSU to communicate funding opportunities to members through events like the Aug. 3 Lunch & Learn.
• Washington State Academy of SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023WSAS is conducting Washington's first comprehensive Value of Distributed Solar and Storage (VOSS) study, initiated through 2023 legislation championed by WASEIA. The study will help define how NEM and distributed solar are valued across Washington's 64 electric utilities.
• M.CubedmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWASEIA retained M.Cubed, a leading energy-economics consulting firm, to submit detailed technical comments on the WSAS Interim Report. M.Cubed's comments emphasized transparent assumptions, 'self-generation' rights, and consideration of real-world data over unsupported opinions.
• Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association (OSEIA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSEIA co-hosts the annual Pacific Northwest Solar Conference with WASEIA, providing technical workshops, policy updates, and networking for solar installers and vendors across the Northwest region.
• Seattle City LightmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFollowing meetings with WASEIA, Seattle City Light agreed to reword changes to solar interconnection standards that were slowing rooftop solar deployments. The utility clarified that solar interconnection agreements would not automatically trigger 'change of service' rules.
• Shift ZerominorGTM or Marketing PartnerShift Zero, a zero carbon building alliance, collaborated with WASEIA in advocacy efforts, particularly around the Value of Solar and Storage study funding.
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory / National Renewable Energy LaboratorysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerWASEIA Board President Jon Lange encouraged WSAS to incorporate NREL's open-access datasets and analysis tools into the VOSS framework for improved accuracy and transparency.
• Puget Sound EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSE is Washington's largest investor-owned utility at 87% of the net metering threshold. WASEIA is engaged with PSE on ways to smooth a potential transition and prevent a 'gold rush' of net metering applications as the utility nears the threshold.

Scale indicators7 records

Others

• Vote Solar: National non-profit solar advocacy organization that complements WASEIA's work by driving pro-solar policy at the state level across multiple states, including Washington. Adjacent rather than directly competitive.
• Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA): Non-profit coalition of state clean energy programs and agencies. CESA is thematically adjacent to WASEIA, sharing the state-level clean energy policy and program development space but operating as an intergovernmental coalition rather than an industry trade body.
• Solar United Neighbors: Non-profit solar advocacy organization focused on rooftop solar consumer education and grassroots organizing. Complementary to WASEIA's industry-focused mission by expanding the consumer/grassroots side of the pro-solar movement.

Direct peers

• Massachusetts Solar Energy Industry Association (MSEIA): Massachusetts state solar trade association, a structural peer to WASEIA in advocating for solar-friendly state policy, member installer support, and consumer protection in a Northeast utility regulatory environment.
• California Solar & Storage Association (CALSSA): California's state-level solar and storage trade association. CALSSA is a direct functional peer: a state-level advocacy and member-service organization for solar installers and storage companies navigating state-specific NEM and consumer protection policy.
• New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA): New York's state solar trade association. NYSEIA mirrors WASEIA's role as the unified state-level voice for solar installers and developers navigating state policy, utilities, and incentive programs.
• North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association: North Carolina's clean energy trade and advocacy association. A direct functional peer to WASEIA operating at the state level to advance solar, storage, and broader clean energy policy and member services.
• Texas Solar Power Association: Texas state solar trade association advocating for solar adoption and policy in one of the largest U.S. solar markets. A structural and functional peer to WASEIA in member-driven state-level solar advocacy.
• Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association (OSEIA): Oregon's state-level solar trade association, which co-hosts the Pacific Northwest Solar Conference with WASEIA and shares deep operational, structural, and policy parallels as a sister state organization in the Pacific Northwest.

Broad incumbents

• Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA): The national U.S. solar trade association and industry umbrella body. SEIA operates at the federal level across all 50 states, providing the broader policy and industry framework that WASEIA operates within at the state level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/solarinwa
• Facebookfacebook.com/WASEIA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waseia
• Instagraminstagram.com/wa_solarenergyindustriesassoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington Solar Energy Industries Association