Contributed by Maggie Clark and Rachel Smucker / Solar Energy
Industries Association, Energy News Network
The Virginia Statehouse in Richmond.
Legislation just passed by the General Assembly, the Virginia Clean Economy Act, represents our best chance this year to ensure reliable and affordable electricity, create jobs and grow our economy, turn back the tide of climate change and put Virginia on a path toward an equitable transition to a clean energy economy.
This legislation would turn Gov. Ralph Northam’s clean energy goals into law, and chart the course for Virginia to get there. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), only about 1% of Virginia’s electricity comes from solar. This ambitious plan would require Virginia to become zero carbon by the middle of this century. The Clean Economy Act takes a major step forward on equity by directly empowering consumers with access to rooftop. It is a bold step, and it is needed now. Read more here.
Photo by Ron Cogswell / Flickr / Creative Commons
RELATED SEIA NEWS RELEASES
- Virginia Passes Landmark Zero Carbon Bill That Prioritizes Solar Access
- ‘Virginia Solar for All’ Applauds Historic Passage of Virginia Clean Economy Act
MORE ON VIRGINIA’S CLEAN ECONOMY ACT
- Virginia passes historic commitment to 100 percent clean energy by 2045, Environment America News Release. Susan Rakov, Environment America’s Clean Energy Program chair, released the following statement: “In state after state and city after city, people are demanding a new approach to America’s energy future, and today Virginia’s General Assembly said, ‘We hear you!’ As a result of campaigns across the country, one out of three Americans now live in a city or state that has made a commitment to 100 percent clean and renewable energy. Environment America is proud to have played a part in those campaigns, and we look forward to the next wave. Congratulations to Virginia — it’s a great day to take a big step toward a better world.”
- Virginia Mandates 100% Clean Power by 2045, Greentech Media
The Clean Economy Act will drive utility Dominion to procure gigawatts of solar, offshore wind and energy storage.
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES
- Pressure is on for companies to rapidly address climate change, GreenBiz article contributed by Tove Malmqvist, Research Manager at GlobeScan. Results from the newly released report by GlobeScan and SustainAbility, “The Climate Decade: Ten Years to Deliver the Paris Agreement” (PDF), show that two-thirds (67 percent) of experts across 66 countries say that companies need to become carbon neutral by 2030 or sooner to remain competitive. Around one in three experts (32 percent) say companies need to be carbon neutral no later than 2025.
- 4 ways companies can build low-carbon supply chains, GreenBiz article contributed by Sundara Bhandaram, Master’s Candidate, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. The 2019 CDP report (PDF) found that companies’ supply chains create, on average, 5.5 times as many greenhouse gas emissions as their own operations. Accordingly, as businesses begin to more fully realize the breadth of their supply chain emissions, they are adopting strong supply chain emission reduction targets.
SOLSMART
SolSmart program helps turn around solar permits in one day, Solar Power World
“SolSmart is mainly a solar soft cost reduction program, and it’s important, because about 64% of all solar costs come from soft costs. And these are costs associated with all the non-hardware parts of going solar. So, permitting fees, labor, zoning issues, things like that,” said Zach Greene, program director and SolSmart leader at The Solar Foundation. “By working with these local governments, by educating them, by providing them with consulting-type resources, we’re really able to help them reduce those costs at the local level and to really try to expand a local solar market.”
Previously Posted
- Lincoln, Nebraska, A SolSmart Gold Designee: City Receives National Recognition for Promoting Solar Energy, City of Lincoln Mayor’s Office News Release, September 9, 2019
- Solar panels gaining popularity in Lincoln, 1011 NOW
LES says that solar energy use in Lincoln doesn’t stack up to bigger coastal cities but we are using it more than other Midwest cities. “Compared to other states in our region the number of systems is pretty good,” said Marc Shkolnick the manager of energy services with LES said.
100% BIODEGRADABLE & REGENERATIVE TIRES FOR ELECTRIC CARS
Goodyear develops self-regenerating ‘spider-silk’ tires for electric cars, BusinessGreen
Goodyear has unveiled designs for new ultra-durable tires made from biodegradable materials, which it claims can both “self-regenerate” and adapt to changing road conditions, in a move aimed at helping electric car drivers cut down on maintenance costs and waste.
BNEF Infographic – Corporate procurement of clean energy through green tariffs:
The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) Board of Directors on Monday approved 21 stakeholder policy recommendations on critical issues, such as enhancing reliability and cost allocation for new transmission. The SPP’s Holistic Integrated Tariff Team (HITT), made up of 15 stakeholders, offered 
