Solar panels at a vineyard in Louisa
U.S. solar potential

Solar power in Virginia on rooftops is estimated to be capable of providing 32.4% of electricity used in Virginia using 28,500 MW of solar panels.[1] Installing solar panels provides a 6.8% return on investment in Virginia, and a 5 kW array would return a profit of $16,041 over its 25 year life.[2]

A feed-in tariff is available from the Tennessee Valley Authority, which pays $1,000 for signing up, plus the current rate for electricity plus $0.12/kWh for all generation. Systems are limited to from 0.5 kW to 50 kW. Payment is for 10 years. Payments are in the form of monthly credits to the consumers regular monthly bill and are paid monthly or annually at TVA's choice. Payments are for 10 years, and payment at retail can be extended for an additional 10 years.[3] A standard offer program is available for systems from 50 kW to 1 MW, which pays from 4 to 6 cents/kWh above retail for the first 10 years.[4] Net metering is available.

Virginia's largest solar array in 2014 was the 504 kW rooftop array located in Woodbridge.[5]

Amazon has partnered with Dominion Virginia Power to construct the largest solar facility in the Mid-Atlantic in Accomack County on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Amazon Solar Farm US East is an 80 MW facility developed by a solar energy company and purchased by Dominion.[6]

The Virginia Clean Economy Act of 2020 directs the construction of 16,100 MW of solar power and onshore wind by 2035, bringing the state's utility-delivered power to 100% renewable energy by 2045.[7]

The Spotsylvania Solar project is the largest in the state, with four phases completed in 2020 and 2021 totaling 617 MWdc capacity.[8]

Statistics

Source: NREL[9]
Grid-Connected PV Capacity (MW)[10][11][12][13]
Year Capacity Installed % Change
20070.4
20080.4
20090.70.375%
20102.61.9271%
20114.51.873%
201210.55.2116%
201312.62.221%
2014116120%
2015211091%
2016217196933%
2017613396126%
201875814523%
201989814018%
20202,310.51,412.5157%
20213,760.91,450.4 %
20224,286525.1 %
Utility-scale solar generation in Virginia (GWh)[14]
Year Total Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
201619000000000199
2017313151923252824292625263637
2018764484469797280777861674742
201995054518394105931029088706258
20201,4827079101128146156174138123126117124
20212,200137130248278313317371406

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Technical Potential in the United States: A Detailed Assessment
  2. ↑ Virginia Solar
  3. ↑ TVA - Green Power Providers Archived April 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Solar Solutions Initiative Frequently Asked Questions
  5. ↑ Virginia’s Largest Solar Array Now Plugged-in Atop IKEA Store
  6. ↑ FORTUNE. "Amazon Signs Five New Solar Projects To Power Its Cloud". Fortune. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
  7. ↑ Vogelsong, Sarah (2020-03-06). "Virginia Clean Economy Act clears General Assembly, aided by beefed-up ratepayer protections". Virginia Mercury. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  8. ↑ "Spotsylvania Solar Energy Project". www.mortenson.com. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  9. ↑ "PV Watts". NREL. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  10. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (July 2009). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 23, 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
  11. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (July 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2012" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  12. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (July 2014). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2013" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2014-09-26.
  13. ↑ Virginia Solar
  14. ↑ "Electricity Data Browser". U.S. Department of Energy. March 28, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
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