Virginia inks 345MW PV deal with Dominion Energy

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Source: Dominion

The government of Virginia has signed a deal with local utility Dominion Energy for 345MW of solar and 75MW of onshore wind energy to power government buildings and facilities.

The Virginia-headquartered utility is billing the deal, which comprises five plants across the state, as the “largest renewable procurement by a state for its own clean energy needs.”

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The purchase comes one month after state governor Ralph Northam announced that Virginia’s government agencies and executive branches would front a state-wide renewable push, procuring 30% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2022.

The solar spree consists of four proposed solar projects set to come online over the next three years, pending local approvals.

This includes the 88MWp Belcher Solar project, owned by Dominion Energy and being developed by Virginia Solar LLC and MAP Energy LLC. The Bedford Solar project in the City of Chesapeake will provide 70MWp and is being developed by Lincoln Clean Energy. Open Road Renewables’ Walnut Solar project will provide “at least” 90MWp. An undisclosed project will account for the rest of the generation.

The wind energy will come from the Rocky Forge Wind project, Virginia's first onshore wind operation.

Renewables will account for 45% of the government’s annual energy, use once the batch comes online, according to Dominion Energy.

The new power will also help the utility meet come closer to its clean energy objectives. The firm wants to have 3GW of solar and wind resources under development by 2022, and with the new projects, Dominion Energy will be two-fifths of the way there.

Governor Needham, a Democrat in a state with a Republican-controlled legislature, issued an executive order in September that sets a target for 30% of Virginia’s electricity to be powered by renewable energy sources by 2030 and for the state to be fully powered by carbon-free sources by 2050.

Virginia ranks 18th in the United States for solar capacity, but its market is forecast to grow the seventh fastest, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Only 1.07% of the state’s electricity comes from solar, but prices have dropped 35% in the last five years.

Dominion Energy provides power distribution and transmission services in Virginia and North Carolina whilst also being one of the largest natural gas transmission and storage companies in the US.

US solar prospects will take centre stage at Solar Media's Solar & Storage Finance USA, to be held in New York on 29-30 October 2019.

21 May 2024
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 21-22 May 2024, will be our third PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2025 and beyond.
8 October 2024
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 8-9 October 2024 is our second PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The event in 2023 was a sell out success and 2024 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
22 October 2024
New York, USA
Returning for its 11th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
26 November 2024
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2025. PV ModuleTech Europe 2024 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.

Read Next

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
April 10, 2024
Dallas, Texas USA
Solar Media Events
April 17, 2024
Lisbon, Portugal
Solar Media Events
May 1, 2024
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
May 21, 2024
Napa, USA