Tag: Solar energy
-
SCC Asks Tough Questions about Nukes, CO2 Emissions
by James A. Bacon Given the legal and regulatory uncertainties associated with Clean Power Plan, which requires Virginia to reduce CO2 emissions 30% by 2030, Dominion Virginia Power’s 15-year strategic plan filed in July 2015 is reasonable and in the public interest, the State Corporation Commission (SCC) ruled in a final ruling released today. However, the SCC…
-
McAuliffe, Dominion Ink 110 Megawatt Solar Deal
by James A. Bacon Wow, it’s electricity overload here at Bacon’s Rebellion global command headquarters, as important energy-related stories keep rolling in… Dominion Virginia Power has reached an agreement with Governor Terry McAuliffe in which the Commonwealth of Virginia will purchase 110 megawatts of solar power from Dominion under a long-term agreement. Dominion will build up to 75…
-
ODEC Goes Solar
by James A. Bacon The Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) has joined Virginia’s solar club, awarding 25-year contracts to deliver 30 megawatts of electric output from solar power plants in Northampton County and Clarke County. Hecate Energy, a developer of renewable energy projects based in Nashville, Tenn., will build and operate the facilities. “Adding clean solar…
-
Lots of Sunlight, Not Much Transparency
by James A. Bacon Two months ago the Department of Navy announced the signing of a contract with Dominion Virginia Power to purchase enough solar electricity to meet 6% of Naval Station Norfolk’s electric power needs for more than 10 years. The next day, Dominion announced the purchase the Morgans Corner Solar Facility, located within Dominion’s North Carolina…
-
Dominion Acquires Accomack Solar Plant
by James A. Bacon Dominion Energy, an unregulated subsidiary of Dominion Resources, announced today that it will acquire a planned 80-megawatt solar facility on the Eastern Shore for an undisclosed price. The solar plant, the largest yet announced in Virginia, will supply Amazon Web Services data centers in Northern Virginia. Dominion is purchasing the project from…
-
If You Like Wind and Solar, You’d Better Like Transmission Lines, Too
by James A. Bacon Wind and solar power are becoming increasingly competitive with fossil fuels and nuclear as an electric power source. As Virginia integrates more renewable energy sources into its electric generation mix, a big question is how much can the power grid handle before the intermittent nature of blowing winds and sunny skies threatens…
-
SCC Says Dominion Must Seek Third-Party Solar Alternatives
The State Corporation Commission has nixed Dominion Virginia Power’s proposal to construct a 20-megawatt solar projects near its Remington Power Station in Fauquier County, stating that the power company must first see third-party alternatives. In its final order, the Commission said, “As a ‘small renewable’ solar project, the Remington Solar Facility is one type of…
-
A Sign of the Coming Grid Wars
It happened in Nevada first, but it could come to Virginia eventually — the effort by major electricity consumers to bypass their local utilities and purchase power from wholesale electric markets. Three big casino companies — Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International and Las Vegas Sands — say they could slash millions of dollars from their electric bills…
-
The Solar Path Forward
by James A. Bacon Solar energy is economically competitive in many parts of the United States today, and it soon could become competitive in Virginia. The power source has a higher hurdle to overcome here than in many states — electric rates that are 13% lower than the national average, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data.…
-
More Questions about Virginia's Solar Energy Policy
by James A. Bacon I’ve been covering business in Virginia four nearly four decades now, and I have to say, the electric power industry may be the most complex and difficult to understand. I freely admit that I have a steep learning curve ahead of me, and it’s pretty clear that other Virginia journalists do,…
-
More Questions about Virginia’s Solar Energy Policy
by James A. Bacon I’ve been covering business in Virginia four nearly four decades now, and I have to say, the electric power industry may be the most complex and difficult to understand. I freely admit that I have a steep learning curve ahead of me, and it’s pretty clear that other Virginia journalists do,…
-
Zoning for Solar
by William Marsh Want to see more solar energy in Virginia? There many ways to tackle the challenge. One that typically gets overlooked is for local governments to amend their zoning ordinances to be friendlier to larger scale (transmission scale) solar generation of electricity. Solar power can be generated either for private use on a property,…
-
Heh, Heh. Virginia Electricity Less Carbon-Intensive than Its Neighbors' — without RPS
by James A. Bacon The Gooze, known in more polite company as Peter G. , is a big fan of solar power and wind power and thinks we ought to have more of both in Virginia. In his most recent post, he seems particularly impressed by the activities of Amazon Web Services, which has announced plans…
-
Heh, Heh. Virginia Electricity Less Carbon-Intensive than Its Neighbors’ — without RPS
by James A. Bacon The Gooze, known in more polite company as Peter G. , is a big fan of solar power and wind power and thinks we ought to have more of both in Virginia. In his most recent post, he seems particularly impressed by the activities of Amazon Web Services, which has announced plans…
-
Virginia's Newest Power Producer: Amazon.com
Big breaking news today: Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced today that it has teamed with Community Energy, Inc., to build and operate an 80 megawatt solar farm in Accomack County. The new farm, which will begin generating 170,000 megawatt hours annually as soon as October 2016, will be the largest solar facility in Virginia and…