Advanced Energy Perspectives

Setting out toward an advanced transportation future can feel like a mythic quest, given the array of investments, organizations, policies, and regulations required. Only a handful of states have truly embarked upon it, and none have reached the promised land yet. But a new entrant, Virginia, has embarked on that journey, and after a quick legislative session just ended, is making impressive headway.

A little less than a year ago, Virginia made history by passing the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) and becoming the first Southern state to establish a 100% clean energy standard. Today, the VCEA faces one of its first critical tests, as the State Corporation Commission (SCC) considers Dominion’s 2020 Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) filing – the utility’s first under the law’s new binding standard. Will the Commission find in favor of the utility, ruling only on the basis of the projects Dominion proposes to build and contract for? Or will the Commission consider the utility’s proposal within the broader context of the law, which pushes utilities to meet their RPS requirements through a variety of means to ensure lowest cost, as AEE and a number of other intervenors propose? It is our hope that the Commission will look at the forest, not just the trees – and set Dominion on the right clean-energy course for Virginia’s families and businesses.

Last month, elected leaders in the Old Dominion crowed as CNBC crowned Virginia “The Best State for Business” in the United States. Here is what you might not know. Not only is Virginia a good place for business in general, it is a good place for advanced energy businesses – and workers – in particular. As shown by AEE’s new Virginia employment fact sheet, more than 100,000 people in the Commonwealth are employed in the industry. That is more people than are employed in every hospital across the Commonwealth, and over twice as many as work in Virginia’s real estate sector. And advanced energy employers say there are lots more Virginia jobs on the way this year.

For years, Virginia’s leading investor-owned utility, Dominion, has lagged behind its peers when it comes to investments in energy efficiency (EE). According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), in 2017 Dominion ranked 50th out of 51 large utilities in EE, narrowly avoiding last place. Those days may be at an end following a stunning decision by the Commonwealth’s State Corporation Commission (SCC) earlier this month approving in full the programs – and budget – for greatly expanded efficiency investments for homes and businesses.

Penalty flags litter the political gridiron in Virginia, as revelations and allegations involving the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General have rocked Richmond. But for the Commonwealth’s General Assembly, it’s halftime. Reaching the midpoint of the short, 46-day legislative session last week means we arrived at “crossover.” Crossover is the juncture at which legislation in one chamber must be voted out and sent to the other chamber or it is benched for the year. So here is a halftime report on advanced energy legislation in Virginia – what bills are still in the game, and which have been sent to the locker room.