Community Engagement Wins Board Approval for SolUnesco’s Orange County Solar Project

By |2018-03-01T23:16:47-05:00December 20th, 2017|Company Update, Virginia Solar|

As solar developers, we believe in our mission and the positive impacts of our work. Even so, we should never assume that a community will embrace a new solar energy generating plant. Local permitting can be the most precarious stage of utility-scale solar development. It’s the only stage where the people who decide your project’s fate don’t follow a uniform rubric. A county official may be able to deny your project for any reason. As a result, politics and emotion

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Fiscal Impact on the County: How does Solar Compare to other Land Uses?

By |2018-06-21T11:07:00-04:00September 11th, 2017|Industry, Land Use, Virginia Solar|

This post references research and analysis from an original SolUnesco white paper, which can be downloaded in full, here. Much has been said about the recent plummeting costs of solar technology, and the corresponding ability for utility-scale projects to legitimately compete with more conventional forms of generation. While this is certainly a reality, it is also conditional. Solar profit margins are generally still too slim to overcome less-than-ideal project conditions. The most elemental development ingredient is land; in order to

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Gillespie, Like Many VA GOP, Supports All Energy Forms

By |2018-06-21T11:36:57-04:00July 13th, 2017|Policy, Virginia Solar|

Under Governor Terry McAuliffe, Virginia has seen a rapid growth of its renewable energy market, particularly with solar energy development. With the upcoming gubernatorial election, it has been unclear how much support renewable growth will continue to receive from Richmond; While Democratic candidate Ralph Northam is committed to the status quo set up by McAuliffe, Republican Ed Gillespie has been silent on renewables – his campaign site only touts a desire to work with the White House in promoting the use of fossil

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Solar Power Southeast: Does Passion + Wisdom = Resilience?

By |2018-03-05T20:43:18-05:00May 31st, 2017|Company Update, Industry, Southeast, Virginia Solar|

Despite scary challenges, strength and optimism While the Suniva trade case – potentially a devastating price increase especially for utility-scale – loomed largely, attendees eagerly packed presentations.  The audience’s questions provided an interesting barometer to the psyche in the room.  Participants focused on where we are going and how to get there.  Further, the evolving business models continue to pry open market segments.  We are tenacious! Even in markets dominated by utilities such as Florida Power & Light, some competitors

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The Composite Index, Problem Solved!

By |2018-06-08T10:38:04-04:00April 18th, 2017|Company Update, Policy, Virginia Solar|

We have good news!  On April 6th Virginia’s Tax Commissioner, Craig M. Burns, issued a letter clarifying the valuation of solar projects within the Composite Index. The bottom line: these solar farms will provide a net revenue benefit to the county.  As previously stated, bureaucratic bookkeeping could have inadvertently ground Virginia solar development to a halt by reducing county revenue when new solar farms are built. The following is the third of three installments highlighting SolUnesco’s research on the Virginia

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The Composite Index and How it Relates to Solar Development in Virginia, Part One:

By |2018-08-10T12:14:00-04:00March 29th, 2017|Company Update, Policy, Virginia Solar|

Bureaucratic bookkeeping may inadvertently grind Virginia solar development to a halt.  The state government is assessing this issue and we understand a decision will be issued in due course.  This is the first of three installments highlighting SolUnesco’s research on the Virginia Composite Index and its impact on solar electric generation. To download our complete findings, click here.

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The Composite Index and How it Relates to Solar Development in Virginia, Part Two:

By |2018-08-10T15:08:43-04:00March 2nd, 2017|Company Update, Policy, Virginia Solar|

Bureaucratic bookkeeping may inadvertently grind Virginia solar development to a halt.  The State government is assessing this issue, and we understand the state will issue a decision in due course.  The following is the second of three installments highlighting SolUnesco’s research on the Virginia Composite Index and its impact on solar electric generation.   To download our complete findings, click here HOW IS SOLAR TAXED? Covered in Part One of this series, the Composite Index (CI) may ignore the solar tax exemption

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Are Solar and Electric Utilities Really Cooperating?

By |2018-08-10T15:02:27-04:00March 1st, 2017|Company Update, Policy, Virginia Solar|

Renewable energy can drive enormous job growth, and local investment, with some reports estimating that it will generate over 55,000 additional job-years worked right here in Virginia by 2030.  The key to tapping this potential is integrating new sources of energy into the existing electric grid. Since the grid is heavily regulated, this means finding policy solutions that give new sources of energy the space they need to grow. That is why many in the solar industry strongly advocate for

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U.S. Solar Jobs Outnumber U.S. Coal Jobs… By A Lot!

By |2018-08-10T14:44:57-04:00January 18th, 2017|Virginia Solar|

This month, the Department of Energy released the “U.S. Energy and Employment Report”, an annual report that highlights employment data and trends for each of the energy sectors. While the report concedes that the solar industry employment data is difficult to measure, it suggests that the solar industry may have added 73,000 jobs in the past year, bringing total solar jobs to 373,000. To put this into perspective; the same DOE report puts U.S. coal jobs at roughly 86,000, total.

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Powered by Facts: Letter to Supporters

By |2018-03-02T00:20:48-05:00December 28th, 2016|Policy, Virginia Solar|

Our friend Karen Schaufeld, Powered by Facts, published the following open letter in support of solar electricity.  Powered by Facts, MDV-SEIA (the regional solar trade association) and the electric utilities have spent the last eight months developing a consensus view on a broad range of issues impacting the deployment of solar energy in Virginia.  SolUnesco has supported this process and supports the Bills forthcoming from this process.

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