On February 23rd, the Virginia legislature passed HB1950 and SB1395, raising the non-residential net metering project cap from 500 kw to 1MW- a concrete step to grow Virginia’s clean energy economy!
Here are the details of the bill:

• Doubles Virginia’s Cap to 1MW. The bill raised the non-residential project cap for solar net metering customers from 500 kilowatts to 1 megawatts.

Thanks to the bills sponsors, Senator Rosalyn Dance and Delegate Jennifer McClellan for leading the way and carrying this critical legislation, and thank you to CCAN’s volunteers across the state who called in and emailed the legislature to help make this bill a reality.
Virginia is now comparable in terms of its non-residential solar cap with neighboring North Carolina (also 1MW cap). This legislation means that businesses across the state can now increase their solar usage!
Another victory came from HB 2267, introduced by Del. Tim Hugo, that will establish a Solar Development Authority for Virginia. The authority will smooth the way for the solar industry to expand in Virginia. Most importantly, the authority is tasked to bring online at least 400 megawatts of solar by 2020 — enough to power at least 100,000 homes!
We have more work to do to continue to expand the use of solar in Virginia!  Reach out to Lauren, Virginia’s solar campaign coordinator at lauren@chesapeakeclimate.org,  to help in the effort to amplify this good work and to join CCAN’s 2015 solar campaign.
Take Action: Click here to thank state senators and delegates who led the way on solar energy legislation in 2015.
Learn more: Fact Sheet – Non-residential Net Metering Project Cap HB1950/SB1395 (PDF)