LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (WDVM) — The Commonwealth of Virginia is taking steps to expand access to clean energy.
Governor Ralph Northam issued an executive order that sets a goal of generating 30 percent of Virginia’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050. Some say in order for it to happen, there needs to be swift action from legislators to remove barriers that have kept Virginians from making the transition toward clean energy.
“What we don’t have are any kind of rebates from the state. We don’t have any kind of renewable energy credits and those really help people when they are doing a project like this. It can make the difference between in other states you can pay off with your savings on your utility bills you can pay it off in a few years, in Virginia it takes on average like 10-12 years,” said Bobby Monacella with Ipsun Solar.
According to Monacella, 10-12 years is good considering the 25-year life span of most solar projects, but believes the process can be a lot faster if policies in the Commonwealth are changed.