Sign the Virginia Declaration of Solar Rights
- by: Solar United Neighbors
- recipient: Your State Legislators
Solar creates jobs and enables energy choice while generating reliable and resilient power in our communities. Sadly, Virginia's current laws favor the interest of monopoly utilities over the customers they are meant to serve.
A Declaration of Solar Rights will specifically urge lawmakers to:
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Protect and expand access to net metering - a billing system that allows distributed "rooftop" solar generators to be fairly credited at a full retail rate for the energy they produce and the benefits their solar system provides to all electric grid users.
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Lift Virginia's 1% limit on total solar energy generation - the cap is arbitrary, stifles growth, and hurts small businesses by limiting the amount of solar connected to the state's electric grid.
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Allow Virginians to develop real community solar projects - The state doesn't allow for "shared solar" projects in which community members (not just a monopoly utility) can own and develop a shared solar project.
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Stop targeting solar-producing customers with discriminatory policies and red tape.
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Support solar policies that help all Virginians fairly access solar energy.
Let your elected officials know that you will no longer accept policies that rig the game in favor of monopoly utilities at the expense of a fair, consumer-oriented energy system.
Join us and sign the Virginia Declaration of Solar Rights today.
Rooftop solar is the cornerstone of a clean and democratic energy system. It creates jobs and enables energy choice while generating reliable and resilient power in our communities. Sadly, Virginia's current laws favor the interest of monopoly utilities over the customers they are meant to serve.
I join a growing number of Virginians who demand policies that enable our transition to a consumer-oriented, two-way energy system and an immediate change to laws that restrict our freedom to produce solar energy. As a solar voter, I petition you as my representative to:
PROTECT AND EXPAND ACCESS TO NET METERING
Net metering is a billing system that allows distributed "rooftop" solar generators to be fairly credited at a full retail rate for the energy they produce and the benefits their solar system provides to all electric grid users. Any attempts by monopoly utilities to limit net metering for their customers hurts small businesses and restricts fair compensation for solar producers
LIFT VIRGINIA'S 1% LIMIT ON TOTAL SOLAR ENERGY GENERATION
The arbitrary and technically unsound 1% cap on solar energy stifles solar growth and hurts small businesses by limiting the amount of solar connected to Virginia's electric grid. The grid can safely and reliably support at least ten times more solar than this cap allows.
ALLOW VIRGINIANS TO DEVELOP REAL COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECTS
Virginia does not allow for real community solar, or "shared solar" projects in which community members (not just a monopoly utility) can own and develop a shared solar project. Community members have the right to develop and benefit from their own shared solar projects.
STOP TARGETING SOLAR-PRODUCING CUSTOMERS WITH DISCRIMINATORY POLICIES AND RED TAPE
Residential solar system owners in Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power service territories are forced to pay a punitive and excessive monthly "stand by charge" for systems over a certain size. Homeowners and businesses are also prohibited from building a solar system producing more than their previous year's electric usage, and are subject to arbitrary system size limits for solar installations on their own property.
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