Contrary to many comments so far, Statista.com shows VA residential electricity rates as 34th lowest in the US as of Feb 2022. (Cheaper than every state on the east coast except NC.) Regardless, we need to continue to diversify electricity production to all types of renewables and move away from fossil fuels. Nuclear probably should be included in the conversation. My 20+ year old children are considering not having children due to the climate crisis we are facing. Sorry politicians, dealing with humans’ negative impact on the climate is not something we can pass off to the next generation.
Upfront costs are high for any new technology, but ongoing generation costs are extremely low for most renewables. The state should increase support of individual and community solar and wind generation to decrease the burden on centralized generators and their distribution networks. I know the current providers want to keep their monopolies but regulated monopolies do not breed efficiency and innovation. Good leadership involves setting goals and standards that challenge the existing players to find ways to improve and invites new players to bring innovative solutions to the market.