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Happy Friday!
January 31, 2025
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From last week’s Legislative Reception to this week’s Conservative Energy Caucus, our team visited a handful of counties on our mission for
Clean Energy the Right Way.
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Landowners Drive the Clean Energy Conversation
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This week’s Energy Right Conservative Energy Caucus brought landowners from across Virginia together to share their personal perspectives on renewable energy development. Guest speakers included crop farmers, nursery operators, and landowners seeking to attract industry to rural areas. A consistent theme throughout the discussion was the importance of landowner rights in renewable energy projects, as well as ongoing debates over whether local governments should continue overseeing solar permitting or if the state should take a more active role in those decisions.
The meeting provided a platform for landowners to share experiences directly with legislators, industry leaders, and supporters of clean energy. One particularly impactful moment came from Brick Goldman of Charlotte County, whose passionate remarks highlighted a critical but often overlooked truth: solar is accessible to all landowners, not just the wealthy. “You could have two cents in your pocket, but if you have the space, solar will make you financially secure,” Goldman stated. His words captured the potential of renewable projects to create financial stability, offering struggling landowners new opportunities to sustain and protect their property.
The session showed that solar development is more than an energy strategy—it’s a lifeline for rural communities. For many, it preserves family legacies by turning underused land into a source of long-term income and stability. The personal experiences shared by landowners reinforced the importance of policy that empowers communities to choose renewable projects that best serve local families, economies, and futures.
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Energy Security Through Diversification: A Smarter Path Forward
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As we continue to diversify our energy sources, the combination of solar, renewable energy, and traditional power generation all come together to form a stable and secure energy grid. By incorporating multiple energy sources (re: Youngkin’s All-of-the-above approach) we strengthen our grid’s resilience. If one energy source experiences a disruption, the others can pick up the slack to prevent blackouts or brownouts. With a more robust energy infrastructure, we’re better prepared to handle extreme weather events or unexpected outages, keeping the lights on when we need them most.
As solar and renewable energy technologies become increasingly cost-competitive, they help to drive down electricity prices across the board. By producing more energy domestically, we can reduce our reliance on expensive foreign oil and gas, which often fluctuate in price due to international events. In addition, renewable energy provides more predictable pricing, helping protect consumers from the volatility of traditional fossil fuels. This shift not only benefits households but also stimulates job growth and economic activity as we continue to build out our domestic energy infrastructure.
Last week, during Energy Right’s 2025 Legislative Reception, Governor Glenn Youngkin echoed these facts. He described the need to support investment and growth in Virginia. In 2024, Virginia was ranked the top state for business in the United States, and to continue that trend, we must have a reliable energy ecosystem that can support budding industry. With a stronger, more diversified energy system, we position the U.S. as a global leader in energy—less reliant on foreign sources and more in control of our future. We must continue to innovate and support new technologies to solve our short and long term energy needs, spearheaded by the consistent and responsible support of solar energy projects.
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2025 Legislative Reception
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This week, our team went to Giles, Lunenburg, Southampton, and Sussex counties.
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General Assembly Building, Richmond, Virginia
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From the beautiful county of Brunswick to Stew Day – we always appreciate working with (or sampling) Brunswick! It’s always a pleasure seeing what different parts of the Commonwealth bring out to share with the rest of the state, and what up and coming counties may be recognized for in the future.
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No other energy source came close to matching solar’s rate of growth in 2024 – in numbers
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Solar energy continues to dominate new energy development, accounting for 81.4% of all new capacity added in the first 11 months of 2024—far surpassing all other energy sources. Utility-scale solar grew by 26.2% year-over-year, reinforcing its position as the fastest-growing source of electricity in the U.S..
With solar and wind now outproducing coal and rivaling nuclear, it’s clear that clean energy is shaping America’s energy future. This rapid expansion underscores the economic and grid stability benefits of solar—momentum that must continue as we navigate the future of energy policy and investment.
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NEXT WEEK
We’ll be heading out to Botetourt, Brunswick, and more!
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Virginia Tech is making strides in sustainability with the completion of four new solar arrays across its Blacksburg campus. These installations, integrated into existing buildings, will generate approximately 2,300 MWh annually, supporting the university’s Climate Action Commitment goals. Designed with long-term impact in mind, the projects contribute to energy resilience while ensuring future campus developments are solar-ready. Through thoughtful planning and collaboration, Virginia Tech is not only reducing its carbon footprint but also creating hands-on learning opportunities for students—proving that clean energy innovation and education go hand in hand.
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