Virginia’s new law targets renewable generation and energy storage
This makes Virginia the first, among Southern states, to sign into law a pro-solar initiative that is set to boost the growth of its solar industry
published on April 13, 2020
Virginia Governor, Ralph Northam, signed into law a new Act that requires electricity to come from 100% renewable sources in the state by 2045.
The law places net-metering, center stage, and props up solar and wind as “essential” sources of energy.
The law requires new measures to promote energy efficiency, sets a schedule for closing old fossil fuel power plants, and requires electricity to come from 100 percent renewable sources such as solar or wind.
The Virginia Clean Economy Act, as its called, establishes that 16.1 gigawatts of solar and onshore wind is “in the public interest.” It expands “net metering,” making it easier for rooftop solar to advance across the state.
The new law requires Virginia’s largest energy companies to construct or acquire more than 3.1 gigawatts of energy storage capacity.
Under the law, energy companies must pay penalties for not meeting their targets, and part of that revenue would fund job training and renewable energy programs in historically disadvantaged communities.
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