While I'm sure that many others here have focused on the important environmental bennefits, there are also significant financial benefits to renewable energy here. Virginians consume a lot of energy, both as gas and electricity. That money all too often goes out of state! We would be better off financially if we were buying Virginia power, such as solar and wind. We could even export excess capacity. Every flat roof at a Walmart, Target, data center and office building is an opportunity for adding solar near the location it is used. Every commuter and mall parking lot could have solar covered parking that produces an enormouse amount of energy. This is not a pie-in-the-sky idea; it's already been proven in various parts of the country.

The only barrier left is not technical, nor economic. It's purely political. We need leaders that stand up to companies whose profit is based on the status quo.

Thank you,

Bruce Lawton