Thanks for the opportunity to contribute.

• Virginia should prioritize distributed solar, including community (shared solar)

  • Distributed solar provides affordable, clean energy for subscribers. 

  • Particularly amid the current context of volatile natural gas prices, distributed solar can provide energy security at a reliably low long-term cost.

  • Distributed solar creates up to 6x more jobs than utility-scale solar.

• Policies that promote shared (community) solar should be pursued

  • Utilities should not be allowed to charge unreasonable "minimum bills" for customers with a shared solar subscription, as Dominion was recently allowed to do by the SCC. At $55, that's the highest minimum charge in the country and makes this option uneconomic for many households.

  • Any new shared solar program should include a carve-out for low-income customers. 

  • Additionally, customers of Appalachian Power and electric co-ops should be allowed to subscribe to shared solar. 

• Solar development on brownfields (like formerly mined lands) should be incentivized

  • Virginia should provide $35M for the Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Fund to incentivize solar development on degraded lands. 

  • Restrictions that limit this program from being funded without a federal match should be removed.

  • Virginia should actively seek federal money from the Inflation Reduction Act to support clean energy development in the Commonwealth, including by funding the Brownfield program.