Virginia Solar Summit

We’ll be getting serious about solar grazing at the 2025 Virginia Solar Summit! As a leading solar state, Virginia has many operating solar facilities and many more on the way and these can be managed with natural methods that maintain and/or create high-value habitats, restore native species, and even open new opportunities for agriculture. At the same time, vegetation management is emerging as solar's leading carry cost that can create expensive problems when improperly maintained, and industry has taken notice. Join us April 28-30 at the Richmond Marriott to explore the exciting intersection of this problem-opportunity set and plug yourself into Greater Virginia’s most professional and passionate assembly of solar and land use development people, and some of the most kind, most constructive folks you’ll find anywhere! Early bird registration for the 2025 Virginia Solar Summit is now open! Register now on Eventbrite here: https://lnkd.in/d9uumZVZ Or visit the Virginia Solar Summit website to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gwzTkTy #solar #energy #environment #landuse #economicdevelopment #agrivoltaics #brownfields #brightfields #solargrazing

Join KidWind Project, Inc. for a virtual Spark Session on #Agrivoltaics on Wednesday, January 22nd at 7pm EST! ⚡ Learn about the shared benefits of solar and agriculture and take a deep dive into agrivoltaics research with principal investigator and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)’s InSPIRE team lead, Jordan Macknick! Organizers, educators, and students are all invited to join. Learn more and register at https://bit.ly/4gYBkTI

Can Virginia build enough energy supply fast enough, in the right places, of sufficient environmental and engineering quality, and at reasonable enough cost, to meet the enormous demand now coming from data centers? “We should continue to be the data center capitol of the world and make sure Richmond is doing what is necessary to support that goal,” Governor Youngkin encouraged in his State of the Commonwealth speech at the State Capitol on Monday. That could be a tall order because of how hungry for power these data centers can be. Hanover County's recently approved data center will draw 2,400 megawatts and require 700,000 gallons of cooling water per day from its 1,200-acre footprint. But with more than 50% of solar projects rejected or withdrawn last year (2024), as presented to the State Corporation Commission (SCC) by the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center using data from the state (shown in the chart below), as well as long queues for interconnection, rising costs, and uncertain supply chains, it’s becoming harder to get electrons on the grid precisely when Virginia needs them most. Policymakers are now challenged to strike a balance that will not raise prices, crimp investment and innovation, or both, if not worse. Rising to the call, the legislative session has begun with an impressive effort to develop solutions for Virginia’s energy problems when it gaveled into session last Wednesday, January 8. We outline them all and run it all down in our VSS25 policy primer! Read the complete Virginia Solar Summit legislative session primer, outlining some of Virginia's energy issues and linking through to primary materials as well as links the legislative proposals themselves on the VSS blog here: https://lnkd.in/gEv8Y79c #virginia #energy #policy #primer #solar #infrastructure #grid #datacenters #aiinfrastructure

Modern solar construction requires major commitments to quality and accommodation for constant changes in schedule, scope, regulations, innovations, and severe weather. Solar stormwater is serious business in Virginia, as previous VSS attendees know, which is why we are thrilled to feature Ferguson Waterworks - GEO in the 2025 Virginia Solar Summit exhibition! Long an industry leader, Ferguson knows what it takes to insure performance in stormwater and geoengineering solutions. Ferguson’s professionals stay up to date on the latest products, technologies, and regulations for managing runoff in all environments, from solar to rain gardens and bioretention basins to pre-treatment devices and underground storage, as well as innovative products that prevent ponding, capture debris, filter pollutants, and prevent erosion. From project-specified grass seed to high strength geotextiles, and everything else necessary to build a stable project, Ferguson can provide solutions to make your solar projects stable, sustainable and successful! Watch this video about Ferguson’s ability to enhance your stormwater and green infrastructure solutions on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gmRUhmDU Visit Ferguson Waterworks - GEO website to learn much more about its specific capabilities: https://lnkd.in/gvRrYmd3 And register on Eventbrite to meet the Ferguson team in person during Greater Virginia’s most-substantive ground-mounted solar development event, the 2025 Virginia Solar Summit, here >> https://lnkd.in/d9uumZVZ Be sure to book in the discounted hotel block at the Richmond Marriott (the only official VSS25 hotel block) >> https://lnkd.in/gNC4ASph Reserve your space in the VSS25 Exhibition >> https://lnkd.in/d75ctDBQ Reserve VSS25 Sponsorship >> https://lnkd.in/d-MCVeDs Visit the VSS website for all the conference details, our blog, the job board, conference archives and more >> https://lnkd.in/gwzTkTy #solar #energy #geoengineering #construction #stormwater #infrastructure #greeninfrastructure

We’ll be getting serious about solar grazing at the 2025 Virginia Solar Summit! As a leading solar state, Virginia has many operating solar facilities and many more on the way and these can be managed with natural methods that maintain and/or create high-value habitats, restore native species, and even open new opportunities for agriculture. At the same time, vegetation management is emerging as solar's leading carry cost that can create expensive problems when improperly maintained, and industry has taken notice. Join us April 28-30 at the Richmond Marriott to explore the exciting intersection of this problem-opportunity set and plug yourself into Greater Virginia’s most professional and passionate assembly of solar and land use development people, and some of the most kind, most constructive folks you’ll find anywhere! Early bird registration for the 2025 Virginia Solar Summit is now open! Register now on Eventbrite here: https://lnkd.in/d9uumZVZ Or visit the Virginia Solar Summit website to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gwzTkTy #solar #energy #environment #landuse #economicdevelopment #agrivoltaics #brownfields #brightfields #solargrazing

We’re thrilled to share a few highlights from today’s CHESSA & SEIA Virginia Lobbying Day!

Next week on January 22nd, we will be hosting the Legislative Reception at Omni Richmond's Magnolia Room! The event will run from 5pm-7pm, where industry leaders and community members alike will be shared updates (and refreshments) on clean energy growth within our Commonwealth. We are so grateful for last year's reception, so—here are some photos from that event and we hope to see new and familiar faces alike next week! That's January 22nd @5-7pm 100 S 12th St, Omni Richmond's Magnolia Room To RSVP or more information on the event, visit us here https://lnkd.in/eDSV5BSH

A total of $1.13 million of recently announced funding awarded through USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) will directly benefit farmers, small business owners, entrepreneurs and community organizations in Virginia! Vintage Virginia Apples LLC in Albemarle, for example, will use a $85,293 grant to install a 94.77-kilowatt (kW) roof mounted solar array that will generate about 132,023 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year, off-setting ~95% of energy usage for this homegrown winery and orchard operation!! Read the exciting news, details about the awards and awardees, and links to more information and resources via the VSS blog: https://lnkd.in/g4QGpq5a And register now for an illuminating series of discussions about new opportunities to combine solar energy and agriculture, to the mutual benefit of both, during the feature agrivoltaics track at the 2025 Virginia Solar Summit returning to the magnificent Marriott Richmond April 28-30 via Eventbrite: https://lnkd.in/gr52BMng #solar #energy #agriculture #investment #farm #farming #resilience #dualuse #agrivoltaics

Yesterday, January 13, House District 61 Delgate Michael Webert introduced legislation (HB2635) to increase the nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on brownfields from $100 per kilowatt to $200 per kilowatt, thereby doubling the grant amount a project developer could receive from the Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund on a brownfield site. Read more on the Virginia Solar Summit blog: https://lnkd.in/g-2QFs85 Register now for the important brightfield redevelopment discussion during the feature brightfield track at the 2025 Virginia Solar Summit April 28-30 at the Richmond Marriott on Eventbrite here: https://lnkd.in/gr52BMng #solar #energy #economicdevelopment #brownfield #brightfield #virginia

"Solar also offered a financial safety net that could help us stay in farming even during hard times. It’s not a replacement for farming; it’s a way to support it. Instead of selling off pieces of the farm or struggling to make ends meet, we could rely on solar to keep our land intact and operational." ..."[b]ut the county commission chose to terminate the project." Read this timely Virginia Mercury opinion piece from Virginia farmer Donna Miller in its entirely on the Virginia Mercury website here: https://lnkd.in/gCyMJtra #solar #energy #virginia #economics #farm #farming