Courtesy of Greentech Media, notice which state is NOT in this “March Madness” bracket? That’s right, Virginia. And notice which states ARE in this bracket? That’s right, our neighbors North Carolina, Tennessee, and Maryland, as well as more northern states like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York. Why is Virginia most definitively NOT the “Energy Capital of the East Coast” when it comes to solar power? Very simple: our state’s policies are godawful: no serious or mandatory Renewable Portfolio Standard; no effective net metering; no serious tax incentives for homeowners and businesses to install (or lease) solar PV on their roofs; and basically a bought-and-paid-for General Assembly that does whatever Dominion Power tells them to do. The result? Virginia’s losing out to other states within our country, not to mention other countries, in the race to take advantage what is fast becoming of one of the leading energy sources of the 21st century. #FAIL
P.S. Minnesota shows how its done: coming up with a “formula for calculating the value of customer-generated solar power,” putting place “a PV and thermal incentive program,” possibly adopting a “third party financing law.” Where’s Virginia on any of this stuff? AWOL. 🙁
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