These customers will be able to have a portion of their energy needs met by community-based solar facilities fed directly into the Dominion Energy grid
Dominion Virginia Power Proposes Community Solar Power Program - Company would lease space for solar panels on rooftops of businesses, public facilities - Solar generation would produce enough electricity to power 6,000 homes. Dominion Virginia Power (yes, a major power company in Virginia) has proposed a community solar power program for its region. The program would involve it leasing commercial and public facility. Dominion Virginia Power has selected Old Dominion University to be the first participant in the company's Solar Partnership Program. More than 600 solar panels will be installed this summer on the roof of ODU's Student Recreation Center in the heart of the campus and generate 132 kilowatts for the electric grid. The Community Solar Pilot Program – which the company plans to file with the Virginia State Corporation Commission by early 2018 – is a voluntary program allowing customers the opportunity to purchase energy from new solar facilities located in communities throughout Dominion Energy Virginia's service area.
Dominion Energy Virginia will be offering residential and business customers the opportunity to 'go solar' even without investing in solar panels on their rooftops.
These customers will be able to have a portion of their energy needs met by community-based solar facilities fed directly into the Dominion Energy grid.
'Some customers may live in apartments or in other rental properties, or may not be in a position to invest in solar panels,' said Paul D. Koonce, president and CEO of Dominion Energy Power Generation. 'And for businesses, it may be a matter of not having enough rooftop space or not being in a position to make a large capital investment right now. We have designed a program that will allow these customers to subscribe for some of their energy needs through solar generation.'
The program is another part of Dominion Energy Virginia's plan to invest $15 billion or more over a five-year period to enhance, protect and strengthen the power grid to reduce outages, further improve reliability and customer service, and make more renewable energy available. For example, the company already has buried over 650 miles of underground lines in the most outage-prone areas to improve recovery from storm damage.
Over the last two years, the company has invested nearly $1 billion to add large-scale universal solar generation serving customers in Virginia and North Carolina. The company has 27 solar facilities totaling 444 MW in operation or under construction in Virginia, up from four projects and 1 MW just two years ago.
Dominion Energy Virginia's Integrated Resource Plan calls for at least another 5,200 MW of new solar generation by 2042, enough to power 1.3 million homes at peak output. The company also announced last month that it would become the first electric utility in the country to own and operate offshore wind generation. The project will be located off the coast of Virginia Beach.
Dominion Energy Virginia is working on several programs that will offer solar energy in a variety of ways to any interested business or residential customer. By early 2018, the company plans to file program options with the Virginia State Corporation Commission that will:
1. Allow for the purchase of community-based solar generation for a portion of the customer's energy usage. The Community Solar Pilot Program will enable customers to purchase energy from new solar facilities installed in communities throughout the company's Virginia service area.
2. Include a 100 percent renewable energy option for 100 percent of the time for residential and small commercial and industrial customers.
3. Enable a business customer to purchase renewable generation equal to a specific portion of their energy usage.
4. The company will soon seek a request for proposal for solar projects to support these programs.
'While program details are being finalized, we want customers to know that we are working on creative solutions to empower them with the best options to go solar,' Koonce said.
To complement these offerings, the company's existing Green Power Program now has nearly 24,000 customers participating where they can purchase renewable energy certificates for up to 100 percent of their energy use.
Nationally, Dominion Energy affiliates, including Dominion Energy Virginia, have invested in more than 2,200 MW of large-scale solar facilities since 2013. Dominion Energy's solar fleet is now the sixth largest in the country, among owners of U.S. electric utilities.
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Editor's Letter
It’s often been said (and we agree) that Virginia is for lovers... of solar power, that is. From Virginia Beach to Roanoke, homeowners in the Commonwealth are going solar and saving hundreds of dollars on their electricity bills. Thanks to falling installation costs and strong solar rebates and incentives, going solar is a smarter investment than ever in the Old Dominion.
What are the best solar power rebates and incentives in VA?
If you’re a solar shopper in Virginia, you have many solar rebates and incentives available to reduce your solar installation costs:
Tennessee Valley Authority green power providers
Become an electricity generator by participating in TVA’s Green Power Providers program. You can sell your electricity to TVA and receive a premium payment (above what you would pay for electricity) for the first five years that you participate in the Green Power Providers program, putting extra money in your pocket and shortening your solar panel payback period.
Dominion Community Solar Program Center
Net metering in Virginia
When you sign up for net metering, you get credits on your electricity bill for every extra kilowatt-hour of solar electricity that you send back to the grid. When you need more electricity than your solar panels are producing, you can use your net metering credits to make up the difference – helping you to balance out your electricity production and use. Dominion Energy offers the top utility net metering program in Virginia.
The benefits of going solar in Virginia
Federal solar energy tax credit (ITC)
Without a doubt, the federal solar tax credit, also referred to as the Investment Tax Credit, is one of the best incentives available for property owners in Virginia. With the ITC, you can deduct 30 percent of the cost of your solar equipment from your taxes – that means major savings on your solar installation.
Residential property tax exemption
All of the benefits of solar mean that installing a solar energy system on your home can increase your property value. That’s great news for homeowners who want to sell their property, but what about the impact of higher home value on your property taxes? Virginia has a law stating that solar energy equipment is exempt from local property taxes, so the extra value your solar panels bring won’t mean extra taxes for you to pay.