RICHMOND — Dominion Virginia Power, the state’s largest utility and largest emitter of global warming pollution, today announced plans to install 400 megawatts of utility-scale solar power in Virginia by 2020. The company currently has zero megawatts of utility-scale solar power installed in Virginia, which has the lowest installed solar capacity in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Dawone Robinson, Virginia Policy Director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response:
“It’s beyond time for Virginia to catch up to our neighbors on solar power, one of the fastest-growing industries in America. Dominion’s announcement today, if followed through, is a significant step in the right direction, but only one step. North Carolina already has far more solar power installed, with 722 megawatts, than Dominion is saying it will build by 2020.
“We will fully celebrate Dominion’s move if and when Virginia has actual solar installed to the scale of our neighbors, and when Dominion stops making it harder for Virginia customers to put solar panels on their own property. In large part due to Dominion’s lobbying, community-owned solar power is still illegal in Virginia, and homeowners and businesses face hefty charges and fees for installing solar to offset their own energy use.
“As Dominion moves toward utility-scale solar, the company must also move out of the way to allow the growth of distributed, locally generated clean power across Virginia.”
Dominion’s influence over the General Assembly and Virginia energy policy has made headlines this week. Every single clean energy bill opposed by Dominion has so far died in committee, even as legislators advance a controversial bill to freeze regulatory oversight of significant portions of Dominion’s rates.
Contact:
Dawone Robinson, 804-767-0372, dawone@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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