Happy Friday!

May 2nd, 2025

In less than two weeks on Thursday, May 15, the South Central Virginia Business Alliance will be hosting their Spring 2025 Educational and Networking event. Join community and industry leaders, experts, and others interested in clean energy and energy independence in the Commonwealth to learn more about what these project initiatives look like, and how they begin! Learn more and register at scvba-biz.org

Building Trust: How Clean Energy Projects Earn a Place in Rural Communities

A well-planned solar project in Southern Virginia blends in with the landscape

Introductions with rural communities aren’t always straightforward in the clean energy field. These close-knit communities protect their way of life shaped by quiet mornings, family-run businesses, and a strong sense of place that embodies small-town America. But while this cultural fabric remains strong, many rural areas face a lack of growing industries. For some residents, new infrastructure—whether manufacturing, hospitality, or clean energy—can feel disruptive or at odds with what they’ve long known and loved.

Despite tensions between communities and clean energy, developers and advocates are taking thoughtful steps to build trust. By prioritizing transparency, early engagement, and shared benefits, they’re helping to acknowledge concerns and build trust in place of skepticism. Acting as facilitators, local organizations host listening sessions, distribute accessible educational materials, and create opportunities for residents to be heard in project planning. Developers increasingly partner with local contractors and suppliers, keeping the money circulating locally. County officials have often worked to secure payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreements, directing reliable tax revenue toward public schools, emergency services, and infrastructure.

Partnerships done this way signal a broader shift in how clean energy integrates with rural communities. These clean energy projects have extended their impact by funding broadband expansion, scholarships, and agricultural co-ops—efforts that align with local needs while respecting rural values. Rather than being viewed solely as technological installations, these projects are redefining themselves as good neighbors, offering pathways to economic resilience and energy independence for a state and nation that need it dearly.

Follow Us

WHAT WE’RE THINKING

The More the Merrier—Community Events in SWVA!

The first-ever Southwest Virginia Solar Summit is less than a month away, bringing a fresh spotlight to solar energy’s future in the region. Set for May 21, 2025, at UVA Wise, the Summit will convene voices across the solar, agriculture, and economic development sectors to explore how clean energy can help drive economic opportunity. With panels ranging from residential rooftop systems to utility-scale development, the day’s lineup will feature conversations on policy, land management, workforce development, and more. Highlights include a Solar Development Panel moderated by Energy Right, featuring Secure Solar Futures, Solar Holler, New Leaf Energy, and Sun Tribe; an introduction to Virginia’s new Solar For All program; and a session on solar grazing with Gray’s Lambscaping.

The Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia and local school leaders will also present insights on how solar installations are benefiting public schools both financially and educationally. Middle and high school students from across the region will compete in a student building challenge, gaining hands-on experience in clean energy design for a chance to win cash prizes and trophies. Live performances from local artist Julia Still and indie rock band Alpine Motel will also be performing!

 By bringing local stakeholders together for honest conversations about solar’s role in the region’s economic future, the event helps foster understanding, shared vision, and practical steps forward. In a region with deep energy roots, the Summit invites new voices to the table, showing how clean energy development can align with community values and long-term prosperity.

For more information on the event, visit swvasolar.org

Where We Went

FROM THE ROAD

The Virginia Solar Summit

This week, the Energy Right team attended the Virginia Solar Summit. During the event, we had the opportunity to speak with experts in different sectors of the solar landscape, including Jess Gray, the CEO of Gray’s Lambscaping, for the America First Energy Podcast.

WHAT WE READ

WHAT NEXT?

WORTH A READ + SHARE

“Russell County officials are considering the county’s first three commercial solar energy developments, eight years after leaders there began working to position the locality to attract the projects.

The projects, which would together produce up to 22 megawatts of power and cover a total of about 230 acres, would be developed on depleted farmland, one near the Russell County-Tazewell County line and the other two on rural sites outside the town of Lebanon.

The first project, which is near Southwest Virginia Community College, is further along than the others and is being developed by CEP Solar, which is part of Commonwealth Energy Partners, based in Richmond.

The other two projects would be developed by New Leaf Energy, a renewable energy developer headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts. The company wants to put solar operations on two separate, adjacent sites off River Mountain Road, behind Oak Grove Baptist Church.”

Want to keep up with Energy Right? Sign up, and forward to a friend!