A year after failed legislation that would have given the state complete authority to regulate industrial-scale solar farms, proponents are back with a tamer proposal that, in our view, has the same goal: covering rural Virginia with large solar farms to help achieve a prior legislature’s clean-energy mandate that’s looking increasingly impossible.

Our Stephen Faleski reports on this week’s front page about a new legislative effort to inject state government in local governments’ decisions on whether to allow solar farms. The issue is especially relevant for Isle of Wight and Surry, where elected officials have imposed caps on acreage that can be devoted to so-called utility-scale solar farms.

Even in a so-called “Dillon Rule” state, where state government is all powerful, we see an audacious attempt by legislators to impose Richmond’s will on communities like Isle of Wight and Surry that want to preserve their rural identity.

The Virginia Clean Economy Act mandates two things that are proving difficult to achieve:

• At least 16,100 megawatts, or just under two-thirds of the state’s electricity, must come from solar or offshore wind farms by the end of 2035.
• Dominion Energy, the state’s dominant utility, must transition to 100% carbon-free energy sources by 2045. 

Those are admirable goals, to be certain, but the law’s supporters should have been up front with citizens at the time about the radical actions necessary to achieve them. The proliferation of power-hogging data centers since the Clean Economy Act was passed in 2020 has made the ideal of 100% carbon-free energy production even more elusive. 

The Virginia Commission on Electric Utility Regulation, or CEUR, voted 7-5 last week to recommend legislation be drafted to establish the “Virginia Solar Energy and Energy Storage Siting Advisory Board.”

The proposed body, Faleski reports, would be tasked with providing “an opinion” to localities on “critical interconnection projects” of “statewide significance,” defined as being within seven miles of a power grid interconnection site and capable of generating or storing more than 20 megawatts.

Energy developers would apply separately to host localities for permitting and to the advisory board, which would have 90 days to issue its opinion. The host locality would have 180 days after that to act on the local zoning or permit application, and would have to explain in writing any vote that differs from the state advisory body’s opinion.

Thankfully, rural interests are pushing back. The Virginia Association of Counties and Virginia Farm Bureau are both on record against state attempts to usurp the authority of localities to control land use. We share their concern.