David Cozine's energy meter runs backward. As owner of University Place-based Brothers Electric & Solar, he and several members of his family hope that soon homes throughout Washington will have the same problem.

OK. Honestly, it's not a problem. Cozine's meter runs backward because he's got solar panels that convert energy from the sun into electricity. These panels are tied into the same power grid that pipes power from other sources - mostly huge, hydroelectric dams - to his home and yours. Even in the not-so-sunny South Sound, Cozine manages to produce enough energy to power his home. If he produces more than he uses, he gets a check from the power company for feeding power into the grid. Recent state legislation has increased dramatically the payback for solar energy producers like Cozine. He and other solar businesses - from manufacturers to installers - are hoping these incentives will help revive a once promising Washington solar industry.

"In 2000 we just realized that we needed to get these meters to slow down," says Cozine, who has worked as an electrician for 30 years. "So I put a pole (with solar panels on it) in my yard and a tracker. This was before all the incentives. I was just into watching my meter go backward."

Solar energy, its associated industries, and inventive electrician like Cozine are sitting on a gold mine. During the next 20 years, worldwide energy demand is expected to grow by more than 50 percent, with demand projected to increase by 23 percent in industrialized nations. By 2020, the solar-electric industry predicts a $1 billion worldwide industry, according to a report by Washington State University.

Washington stands to grow as many as 4,300 jobs, thanks to rapidly growing markets and opportunities in solar manufacturing and installation. In fact, the results of a survey conducted by the WSU Energy Program suggests the adoption of solar electricity in Washington is growing at an annual rate of more than 300 percent.

Washington was once the hub of a promising solar business empire, but lost out to other states and other countries that provided more assistance and incentives for people looking to get into the solar energy business.  One of the most successful solar energy systems integration companies in the country, Applied Power, got its start in Lacey. The company, started by a husband and wife team who tinkered with solar technology on their kitchen table, later moved to Sacramento, Calif., and is now owned by a large German utility company.

Once Washington legislators saw how much money our European neighbors were making, the jumped on it, passing laws that give solar businesses, and users, a leg up. A state law that runs through 2011 waives sales tax collection on solar equipment purchases, for example. Solarphiles like Cozine that produce excess energy receive 15 cents per kilowatt-hour from their utility company. Those who use panels manufactured in Washington receive an additional 36 cents per kilowatt-hour. That's a lot, by the way. For energy efficient homes, installing enough solar to produce a surplus is a realistic and relatively affordable goal.

So who wants to get a check from the power company? Yeah, me to.

"I preach conservation before solarization," says Cozine. "But it works both ways."

[Brothers Electric and Solar, 6019 Alameda Ave. W., University Place, 253.474.1968]