In Southwest Virginia, we’ve already seen that solar power is one way to help our families and local institutions save money, giving our communities more control over our power bills and more funding to support community initiatives. However, there can be barriers to installing solar: Individual solar installations can be expensive, roofs might not be suitable, you may not be the building owner, or there just might be too many trees shading your roof. That’s why it’s necessary for our communities to have shared solar, which is already available to most of the rest of the state.
Shared solar programs, also known as community solar, allow people to subscribe to off-site solar arrays that are owned and managed by a third-party contractor, who then works with the utility to provide bill credits that offset some of all of the subscribers’ utility bills. Renters and even local governments that can’t afford the upfront costs of their own array can buy solar power this way.
It’s not just a matter of making sure that all Virginians can access clean energy without breaking the bank: Our communities would benefit from the employment and energy resilience that comes with solar expansion.
With solar tech apprentices successfully installing solar on community buildings, we’re seeing in real time how the solar industry can provide well-paid, skilled jobs for our community members. Local governments in the region are embracing the cost savings from solar and investing those resources into critical needs.
As an extra benefit to expanding shared solar, Southwest Virginia already has the Brightfields program, which incentivizes putting solar on our abundant abandoned mine lands, landfills, former industrial sites and old energy generation facilities in the region. In Southwest Virginia, the Environmental Protection Agency has mapped over 750 solar-suitable brownfields sites. Of these, 275 are too small for large utility-scale solar, but perfect for shared community solar arrays.
Communities and residents in Russell County are ready for shared solar. In Dante, where the community just received money for community redevelopment planning, shared solar offers a wonderful opportunity to include clean and affordable energy in revitalization efforts. There are abundant brownfield sites surrounding Dante, and the residents would benefit immensely from the savings generated from shared solar.
All Virginians should have the right to benefit from solar energy, no matter where they live in the state. It’s time for our General Assembly to pass a bill expanding shared solar and to help fund those projects on former industrial sites through the Brightfields fund.
