Virginia was among the states that recently lost federal grant funding for a renewable energy program called Solar for All.
The state’s Clean Energy Advisory Board met this week to discuss alternative sources of income for similar projects — and explored the possibility of reworking its mission.
“How do we think about funds? What is the right way to go about approaching that?” asked Taylor Brown, who works for Sun Tribe Solar and also serves as chair of the advisory board. “I know there's a lot of affordability conversations happening right now with data center growth. Everyone's probably tired of hearing it, but it's not going to go away.”
The demand for energy production in Virginia is anticipated to significantly increase during the next decade — due in part to the development of data centers — which makes identifying ways to scale up production an imperative.
Michelle Moore is the CEO of Groundswell, a nonprofit working to address energy affordability in rural communities across a handful of Southern states, including Virginia. The organization lost its own funding, separate from the commonwealth, as part of the Solar For All program. Moore, whose organization is working in collaboration with the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, said Virginia is missing out on more than just the $156 million it was allocated.
She added that solar initiatives like those that would have been funded through the federal program are the fastest way to get renewable energy to the market.
“You need these projects for speed,” Moore said. “You need them for affordability. And that's what we need at this point for our economy and for our quality of life at the kitchen table, too.”
A Virginia Energy spokesperson said the department isn’t disputing the federal grant money being rescinded — though a group of solar companies and nonprofits recently filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency, which administered the program.
The spokesperson also pointed out that other initiatives in the commonwealth were still being supported by $500 million in federal funding.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.