Gov. Terry McAuliffe recently approved the construction of a 20-megawatt solar facility in New Kent County, reflecting an initiative to move the state toward a policy of alternative energy.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe recently approved the construction of a 20-megawatt solar facility in New Kent County, reflecting an initiative to move the state toward a policy of alternative energy.
According to the press release from October, the solar farm, to be built by Correctional Solar LLC, will “generate enough electricity to cleanly power around 3,400 homes, average annually over its planned 35-year lifespan.”
Virginia Solar oversees Correctional Solar LLC, who applied for the permit to construct the facility, and started development on the project in the fall of 2015. Manager Matthew Meares says that the state is moving in the right direction in terms of the increasing amount of solar energy being produced.
“I view that we are making progress because solar is becoming more economical,” Meares said. “That’s my gauge of progress. All electrical generation is subsidized one way or another in this country. The more we limit the subsidies and distortions in the marketplace, the more we can support all forms of energy, and we need all forms of energy.”
In February 2015, Dominion Virginia Power announced its plan to develop “multiple large-scale solar projects totaling 400 megawatts of electricity” by the year 2020. During the 2015 General Assembly session, legislation was also passed calling the installation of 500 megawatts of solar energy “in the public interest.” These efforts reflect a shift in Virginia policy toward prioritizing solar energy.
Dominion extended these efforts last month by announcing their partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Inc., in order to construct facilities totaling production of 180 megawatts of solar energy in five counties in Virginia, the project in New Kent County being one of these facilities. The other three counties where these projects are to be developed are Buckingham, Powhatan and Sussex counties.
The solar farm will offset 43,632,264 pounds of climate-changing carbon dioxide emissions according to the release. Additionally, the project will help prevent the release of 32,736 pounds of nitrogen oxide and 51,442 pounds of sulfur oxides, both of which can cause acid rain.
The location in New Kent County was chosen because of its flat landscape and a nearby substation, which allows for an easier pathway onto the electrical grid.
Mary Major, the environmental program manager at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), says the New Kent project is just one of 30 currently proposed projects, up from the one single project the DEQ was proposed in 2015. A map created by the DEQ shows the locations of all the proposed projects, as well at the five currently permitted ones within the state.
The DEQ itself is responsible for reviewing and working on renewable energy “permits by regulation,” which come directly from legislation passed by the GA. Applications for these projects, “Require certification from the local government that the project isn’t going to conflict with their local land use, interconnection agreements that are done with transmission owners (if they’re going to be tapping into the grid system to deliver the electricity), a comprehensive cultural resource analysis to be completed for the geographic region” and a wildlife review before approval, says Major.
While the beginnings of a Trump administration has many worried about the country regressing on the progress it’s made toward renewable energy, Meares does not see the president-elect being able to make any changes of lasting effect during his four year term.
“I do not see a Trump administration changing the tax incentives which solar receives given they were passed only last year by a Republican controlled legislature,” Meares said in an email. “There are very powerful people in both parties who have a strong incentive to see these incentives remain and phase out as currently legislated.”
According to Meares, the issues surrounding Trump’s stance on the Clean Power Plan and Paris Accord are not material because the plans will not affect the Virginia market in the next few years either way. However, he says there could be major effects on these points outside the next three to five year time frame pending the actions for climate change taken over the next presidential term.
While Virginia does not have as much production of solar energy as the neighboring state of North Carolina, proponents of the New Kent facility and the other projects currently in development see it as a much needed step away from traditional forms of energy.
The largest project developed in the past year is located on the Eastern Shore in Accomack County. The facility, which just began service as part of the Dominion-Amazon alliance in October 2016, was permitted at 80-megawatts – the largest in the state.
Because solar energy is cheaper in Virginia than other sources of renewable energy, other than combined cycle natural gas, Meares says that the trend of solar production in the state will continue to grow.
“Natural gas and solar both reduce air emissions,” Meares aid. “Therefore, if we’re reducing air emissions both ways, it’s part of the solution. I think we should have more than we do. Right now in Virginia I think we’re probably around 180 megawatts of solar total, next year it’s going to be roughly 300 megawatts installed in the state.”
