VIRGINIA’S CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION

COMMENTARY

A bright spot at the intersection of farming, electric vehicles and solar energy

BY: - September 19, 2023

The energy transition is in full swing across the U.S. and the world, but the changes now underway are not simple or linear. In an economy as complex and connected as ours, progress in one area will often affect other parts of the economy, creating winners and losers.  And then there are the changes that […]

COMMENTARY

Why are ratepayers footing the bill for Virginia’s data center buildout?

BY: - August 16, 2023

Virginia’s embrace of the data center industry produced new fallout this spring when Dominion Energy Virginia released its latest Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). With data center growth the “key driver,” Dominion projects a massive increase in the demand for electricity. As a result, the utility claims the state-mandated transition to clean energy is now impossible […]

A clean energy transition won’t be free. Officials hope energy efficiency can offset costs.

BY: - December 4, 2020

Much of Virginia’s planned shift to a carbon-free electric grid involves grand plans: turbines sprouting hundreds of feet tall from the ocean waves and solar panels spread across thousands of acres. But another major part of the clean energy transition Virginia and other states are looking to make is often overlooked: energy efficiency.  Unlike wind, […]

Energy storage is the ‘Swiss army knife’ of the renewables transition, but it’s still evolving

BY: - December 3, 2020

Hang around any debate about clean energy and you’re bound to hear one question: What do you do when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing?  The answer, at least in theory, is straightforward: energy storage.  Storage can be thought of as the third leg of the stool Virginia will use to reach […]

Long-sought changes to rooftop solar laws offer a new vision of Virginia’s electric grid

BY: - December 2, 2020

A chicken in every pot, a car in every garage — and a solar panel for every roof?  For many years, that notion would have been unthinkable in Virginia, where fairly competitive electric rates, a lack of incentives and what one solar developer described as “extreme utility control of the legislature” made most companies think […]

As solar farms multiply across Virginia, officials reckon with land use challenges

BY: - December 1, 2020

Once upon a time, Virginia saw Halifax County as a golden place.  Just above the North Carolina border, in the heart of Southside Virginia, Halifax’s sunshine and abundant lands yielded some of the country’s largest crops of brightleaf tobacco. Mild and fragrant, the yellow-leaved variety sometimes known as “golden tobacco” sparked awe among visitors to […]

With offshore wind, Virginia hopes a 21st-century manufacturing boom will offset a hefty price tag

BY: - November 30, 2020

Maybe, if you squint really hard and the skies are clear, you might be able to convince yourself that you see them, out on the horizon: two turbines spinning far offshore of Virginia Beach.  You can’t, of course — the distance to the Dominion Energy-owned offshore wind outpost is too great. Bill Murray, a senior […]

Virginia’s Clean Energy Transition: A special series by the Virginia Mercury

BY: - November 30, 2020

The 2020 General Assembly session will be remembered as a sea change in Virginia’s approach to not only energy, but climate change. From a fossil-fuel friendly state with only a small renewables presence, Virginia went to one with a mandatory schedule for phasing out fossil fuels by 2050, participation in a regional carbon market and […]