Sun Tribe Solar technician installing solar panels. Photo provided by Sun Tribe Solar.
The General Assembly passed a bill that aims to increase access to renewable energy for lower-income communities. House Bill 573, introduced by Del. Mark Keam, D-Fairfax, amends an existing solar development pilot program that requires utility companies to invest in renewable energy.
Keam’s bill adds the criteria of low-income communities to the current law. The pilot program allows utility companies like Richmond-based Dominion Energy to supply residential and commercial customers with solar power from independent solar farms throughout the state. Keam’s bill mandates that utility companies have to ensure some of these solar farms are within a low-income community. He said Virginia needs to prioritize renewable energy and has fallen “really behind” in moving from fossil fuels to cleaner energy.
“It’s a creative way of trying to encourage more solar to be provided and incentivized at every level of Virginia,” Keam said.
