Bill > SB234

This bill establishes the Parking Lot Solar Development Pilot Grant Program in Chesterfield County and Richmond City, designed to encourage solar energy development by providing grants for solar installations on parking lot canopies. The program defines specific terms like "solar project" (a photovoltaic installation over a parking lot), "low-income community" (areas with high poverty rates or lower median incomes), and "energy community" (regions with significant employment or revenue from fossil fuel industries). The Department of Energy, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality, will administer the program, with a focus on prioritizing solar projects near high electric demand areas, locations that reduce transmission line needs, potential electric vehicle charging sites, and areas in low-income or energy transition communities. The program requires solar project developers to hire local residents and includes provisions for annual reporting to the General Assembly, detailing metrics such as the number of projects installed, acres preserved, solar capacity constructed, jobs created, and overall economic impact. Grants will be funded through appropriated funds, gifts, donations, and other received funds, with a maximum project size of one megawatt.

Budget and Finance, Business and Industry

https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?251+sum+SB234