RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today launched Clean Energy Virginia, a new initiative to drive investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency and help meet the Commonwealth’s goals for clean energy production, which include powering 100 percent of Virginia’s electricity from carbon-free sources. This initiative comes on the heels of an historic General Assembly session in which the Governor signed legislation that will transform Virginia’s electric grid and create new business opportunities for the clean energy sector.
“Virginia has a unique opportunity to fundamentally transform the state’s electric grid in a way that powers our COVID-19 economic recovery and drives down harmful carbon pollution,” said Governor Northam. “Our new Clean Energy Virginia initiative builds on the historic progress we achieved during the recent legislative session, helping ensure the Commonwealth remains a national leader in clean energy innovation, creates the jobs of the future, and meets the urgency of the climate, health, and economic challenges we are facing.”
The Clean Energy Virginia initiative expands upon Executive Order Forty-Three, which the Governor signed last fall establishing ambitious statewide goals and targets for clean energy deployment in the Commonwealth. The initiative also follows the recent enactment of the Virginia Clean Economy Act and other signature solar, wind, and energy efficiency legislation. These clean energy policies require all carbon emitting sources of electricity to retire by 2045, while replacing them with new investments in solar, onshore wind, offshore wind, energy efficiency, and battery storage.
“The Clean Energy Virginia initiative will provide new educational tools and resources to clean energy businesses that are interested in expanding or locating in Virginia,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “The Commonwealth will continue to be a leader in transitioning to clean energy to meet the growing needs of our business sector, and we look forward to working with renewable energy companies as they invest across the state.”
As part of the new initiative, the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) will launch a five-part webinar series to educate businesses and stakeholders on recent legislation, including the Virginia Clean Economy Act, and highlight opportunities for clean energy businesses to expand or locate in Virginia. The webinars will take place as follows:
ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Wednesday, July 22, 2020
DISTRIBUTED SOLAR GENERATION: Wednesday, July 29, 2020
ENERGY STORAGE: Wednesday, August 5, 2020
UTILITY-SCALE SOLAR AND ONSHORE WIND: Wednesday, August 12, 2020
OFFSHORE WIND: Wednesday, August 19, 2020
“Virginia is acting now in the transition to a new energy era,” said DMME Director John Warren. “We are excited about implementing strategies that include how we use energy, how we store energy, and how we deploy new energy assets, all in creating a carbon free state-of-the-art electric grid.”
More details on the Clean Energy Virginia initiative, including how to register for the webinar series, can be found here.
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