Removing barriers to customer solar could unleash hundreds of millions of dollars in private and public investment in clean energy across Virginia, creating thousands of new jobs. Freeing customers to install more solar in our communities will save money for residents, businesses, and taxpayers while reducing carbon pollution and helping utilities avoid the need for expensive new power plants.
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A Solar Story
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Sun Driven: Electric Cars Running on the Sunby Glen BesaLast September 2017, my wife Tyla and I put a 4.25 KW solar system (16 panels) on our home in Chesterfield County. We don't use a lot of electricity, and we would have been about "net zero" except for the all electric Nissan Leaf we charge at home. Of course, solar panels don't generate electricity at night when we draw our electricity from the grid. But "net zero" means we generate enough excess power during the day to offset the power we use at night. Particularly in the summer, we generate enough electricity to charge the Nissan Leaf as well as our power our house which means we're driving a car powered by the sun. Just pause, and think about that. Instead of using oil from questionable petro-states or fracking our countryside, with enough renewable energy, we could drive our cars, trains and buses, powered by the sun and wind. Electric cars are almost maintenance free. They are clean and quiet and if you are charging your car with renewable energy, it is close to pollution free. Even if you don't have your own solar panels, electric cars are still less polluting than gas or diesel engines, and everyday we add more solar and wind to the grid your car gets cleaner and cleaner. |
About Solar
About Solar
Virginians who want to generate their own renewable solar energy face a long list of regulatory barriers. Because of these barriers, rooftops, parking lots, airports, and other spaces that could host solar panels are now sitting idle and empty.
Regulatory barriers are hurting the solar industry, which could be creating thousands of new jobs. Local governments could be putting under-used land to work and saving money for taxpayers. Businesses are missing out on smart investments that make them more competitive, and residents who want to power their homes with clean energy are hitting regulatory walls.
Solar in our communities will help create a more secure and resilient grid. When paired with battery storage, it will help communities prepare for emergencies, keeping the lights on for emergency shelters, police and fire stations when the larger grid goes down. Importantly, solar power is a critical part of the transition to a 100% clean energy electric grid.
Grid resilience and reliability, emergency preparedness, and planning for a future beyond fossil fuels all depend on a robust build-out of solar in our communities. This is why it is urgent that we work for more solar, more places.
Contact
Mary-Stuart Torbeck
Senior Organizer
Mary-Stuart.Tobeck@sierraclub.org