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This week our team visited a handful of counties, including King William County where we toured Hollyfield, a solar farm operated by Energix that is utilizing agrivoltaics in full force; we’ll continue to share some photos of the apiary (bee farm!) in the future! Dual-use projects are exactly what we think of when we talk about energy, the Right Way.
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When the Grid Gets Outpaced: Virginia’s Race to Keep Up
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Virginia’s energy conversation is shifting. Five years after the General Assembly passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA)—hailed at the time as one of the most ambitious clean energy laws in the South—some of the very lawmakers who once championed it are calling for updates. Why? Because Virginia’s energy landscape has changed dramatically since 2020, and the stakes have never been higher.
House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) put it plainly: “We went a long while with more supply than we had demand; now it’s flipped upside down.” A wave of new electricity demand, driven largely by energy-intensive data centers, is forcing state leaders to confront a new challenge—how to maintain momentum on energy implementation while safeguarding affordability and grid reliability. That tension is not unique to Virginia, but the state is quickly becoming a national case study in how fast demand can outpace even well-intentioned energy timelines.
Critically, what’s emerging is not a rejection of clean energy goals, but a call to recalibrate. Lawmakers are beginning to ask whether the rigid timelines built into the VCEA align with today’s infrastructure realities. Could more flexible integration of resources like advanced nuclear or natural gas as transitional fuels help smooth the path? Would faster permitting for battery storage or expanded transmission help bridge the gap? These are the kinds of questions now being debated—not whether to abandon the VCEA, but how to evolve it for the position we’re in.
We think that’s a conversation worth having.
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One Person’s Trash is Another’s… Energy?
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As Virginia’s energy demand surges and severe weather continues to threaten energy grid stability, the focus is shifting from building new energy generation to building smarter, more resilient local systems. Across rural Virginia, that means finding solutions that are flexible, scalable, and rooted in technologies people already well understood. One idea is gaining real traction: reusing electric vehicle (EV) batteries as community-scale energy storage.
While no longer suitable for use in cars, EV batteries retain up to 80% of their original capacity—and that’s more than enough to help store and deliver power for homes, schools, and municipal facilities. These second-life batteries can be aggregated into modular storage systems that stabilize local grids, store surplus solar energy, and provide backup power during outages. In effect, they turn what might be considered waste into a high-value resilience asset.
This isn’t theoretical either; companies across the U.S. and Europe are already piloting EV battery reuse in small towns, school districts, and off-grid facilities. In California, a community college uses repurposed EV batteries to manage demand charges and back up critical systems. In Vermont, utilities have deployed second-life battery systems to reduce strain on rural substations during peak events. Virginia is well-positioned to follow suit, especially in communities where siting new energy infrastructure is logistically difficult.
Battery reuse also gives rural communities a tangible role in the energy transition. It’s a local solution to a statewide challenge—allowing counties to strengthen their grids, support energy independence, and keep costs low without waiting on far-off infrastructure. As Virginia works to modernize its grid and meet rising demand, integrating technologies like second-life battery storage could provide another stepping-stone towards the path to a stronger, more resilient Commonwealth.
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This week our team went to Carroll, King William, Lunenburg, Southampton, and Sussex counties!
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Hollyfield Solar Farm, King William County, VA
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This week, Seth Cogbill of the Energy Right team visited Hollyfield, a solar farm practicing agrivoltaics alongside beekeeper Allison Wickham, the “Bee Lady.” We love projects like these that integrate multiple uses for the land, further establishing that energy use and agriculture can coexist. While we didn’t leave with any bee stings, Allison left with over 300 pounds of honey!
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Dominion Energy expands sheep grazing program to Northern Virginia solar facility
– ABC 7News
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Dominion Energy is expanding its environmentally friendly sheep grazing program to Northern Virginia, using a herd of 125 sheep at its Remington Solar facility in Fauquier County. The initiative, which replaces gas-powered lawnmowers with sheep to manage vegetation, reduces fuel use, lowers operating costs, and supports local agriculture while improving soil health.
The program launched in 2023 and is already active in other parts of Virginia, including Hampton Roads and Richmond. Dominion views the grazing effort as complementary to its clean energy goals—pairing solar generation with sustainable land maintenance. With plans to double its 70+ large-scale solar facilities over the next two decades, Dominion expects the program to expand alongside the state’s growing solar footprint.
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NEXT WEEK
We’ll be traveling to Albemarle, Amherst, Lunenburg, Montgomery, Spotsylvania, Surry, Sussex, and Westmoreland counties.
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Virginia is laying the groundwork to bring advanced nuclear energy to Southwest Virginia, backed by grants from the Clean Energy Innovation Bank and GO Virginia. The initiative aims to develop a deployment roadmap that could drive job creation, modernize infrastructure, and position the region as a national leader in carbon-free, 24/7 power.
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