Government Energy Policy, Business and Technology

Dispute over third-party ownership may put Virginia solar goal out of reach

Southeast Energy News: In 2015, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe was lauded by advocates for setting a goal for the state government to meet 8% of its electricity needs with solar energy by the end of 2018.

However, with less than two months left in his administration, questions loom as to whether the goal can be met.

By the end of October, roughly half of the goal was set to be met with solar power operations either operating or under contract, according to the state’s Dept. of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME). Three of those projects, totaling 50 megawatts, were either developed or purchased by Dominion Energy, the state’s largest utility. A handful of relatively small projects currently in the design stage could potentially count toward the goal.

Read article