Smart Solar Permitting Platform established; residential solar energy systems; work group; report. Creates the Smart Solar Permitting Platform (the Platform) to serve as a tool for (i) contractors to obtain permits for the construction of streamline-eligible residential solar energy systems and (ii) localities to process applications for such permits. The bill requires the Department of Energy to establish, launch, and administer the Platform by July 1, 2027, as an internet-based platform that automates plan review and instantly releases a permit or a permit revision to construct certain residential solar energy systems that comply with any applicable building codes and state laws. The bill requires localities to allow contractors to submit an application to construct a residential solar energy system through the Platform or through an alternative automated solar permitting platform by July 1, 2028. The bill requires any locality that chooses to use an alternative automated solar permitting platform to submit an annual report to the Department no later than March 1 of each year. The bill directs the Director of the Department to convene a work group to determine the appropriateness of adding a surcharge to local government permitting fees to defray state costs for the Platform and to report its findings to the General Assembly on or before November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 382.
Renewable energy portfolio standard program; geothermal heating and cooling systems; report. Requires, for purposes of the renewable energy portfolio standard program, Dominion Energy Virginia and American Electric Power to annually procure and retire certain percentages of renewable energy certificates from geothermal heating and cooling systems, as defined in the bill. The bill directs the State Corporation Commission to prepare and deliver a report evaluating the procurement and retirement of renewable energy certificates from geothermal heating and cooling systems in the Commonwealth on or before November 1, 2028. The bill also directs the Real Estate Appraiser Board to promulgate regulations requiring the development of a continuing education curriculum and required training for all licensees that includes how to properly determine the increase in value of real estate created by reductions in building energy costs associated with solar, geothermal, and solar water heating investments. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation and is identical to SB 252.
Clean energy and community flood preparedness; market-based trading program. Directs the Department of Environmental Quality and the State Air Pollution Control Board to establish and maintain a market-based trading program consistent with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative program, as defined in existing law, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generating units in the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to SB 802.
Local regulation of solar facilities; special exceptions. Provides that a ground-mounted solar energy generation facility to be located on property zoned agricultural, commercial, industrial, or institutional shall be considered pursuant to various criteria to be included in a local ordinance, such as specifications for setbacks, fencing, solar panel height, visual impacts, grading, and a decommissioning plan for solar energy equipment and facilities, unless otherwise permitted by right. The bill requires localities to furnish the State Corporation Commission with a record of special exception decisions reached pursuant to these provisions that includes (i) the reason for any adverse decision, (ii) any finding of nonconformity with the local comprehensive plan, and (iii) the date of the last revision to the comprehensive plan. The bill further requires the State Corporation Commission to compile and maintain on the Commission's public website a searchable database of all solar special exception decisions and the reasons for any adverse decisions made over a period of not less than five years. Finally, the bill states that its provisions shall apply to any ground-mounted solar facility with a generating capacity of one megawatt or more for which an application for local approval is filed on or after July 1, 2026, and any such project shall not be governed by any local ordinances inconsistent with the bill; however, any application for a solar energy facility that has been received and accepted by the relevant authority prior to July 1, 2026, shall be subject to any applicable local ordinances in place at the time the initial application was filed. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. This bill is identical to SB 347.
Electric utilities; energy storage resources; Department of Energy to develop model ordinances; State Corporation Commission to conduct technology demonstration program. Increases the targets for energy storage capacity that Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia are required to petition the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) for approval to construct, acquire, or procure and extends the time frame by which such capacity must be met. Under the bill, (i) Appalachian Power shall petition the Commission for approval to construct, acquire, or procure at least 780 megawatts of short-duration energy storage capacity by 2040 and 520 megawatts of long-duration energy storage capacity by 2045 and (ii) Dominion Energy Virginia shall petition the Commission for approval to construct, acquire, or procure at least 16,000 megawatts of short-duration energy storage capacity by 2045 and 4,000 megawatts of long-duration energy storage capacity by 2045. "Long-duration energy storage" and "short-duration energy storage" are defined in the bill. Under the bill, the Commission shall approve an independent auditor to help develop criteria for and to help review requests for proposals for new energy storage resources. The bill requires the Commission to conduct a technology demonstration program for long-duration energy storage resources and initiate a proceeding to determine if such technology is viable and that the targets in the bill are reasonably achievable, for which a final order shall be entered no later than March 1, 2031. Certain provisions of the bill are only effective upon such determination by the Commission. The bill requires the Department of Energy, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Fire Programs, to develop model ordinances suggested for use by localities in their regulation of energy storage projects by December 1, 2026. The bill directs the Commission to initiate a technical conference by September 1, 2026, to evaluate safety standards and practices for energy storage development. The bill also includes a provision authorizing the Commission to evaluate energy storage project proposals during annual petitions filed for the development of new renewable generation capacity. This bill is identical to SB 448.
Net energy metering; standby charge; facility capacity. Increases the minimum capacity from 15 kilowatts to an aggregate nameplate capacity of 20 kilowatts of alternating current for an electrical generating facility for which certain electric utility customers are required to pay a monthly standby charge as part of the net energy metering program.
Local regulation of solar facilities; special exceptions. Provides that a ground-mounted solar energy generation facility to be located on property zoned agricultural, commercial, industrial, or institutional shall be considered pursuant to various criteria to be included in a local ordinance, such as specifications for setbacks, fencing, solar panel height, visual impacts, grading, and a decommissioning plan for solar energy equipment and facilities, unless otherwise permitted by right. The bill requires localities to furnish the State Corporation Commission with a record of special exception decisions reached pursuant to these provisions that includes (i) the reason for any adverse decision, (ii) any finding of nonconformity with the local comprehensive plan, and (iii) the date of the last revision to the comprehensive plan. The bill further requires the State Corporation Commission to compile and maintain on the Commission's public website a searchable database of all solar special exception decisions and the reasons for any adverse decisions made over a period of not less than five years. Finally, the bill states that its provisions shall apply to any ground-mounted solar facility with a generating capacity of one megawatt or more for which an application for local approval is filed on or after July 1, 2026, and any such project shall not be governed by any local ordinances inconsistent with the bill; however, any application for a solar energy facility that has been received and accepted by the relevant authority prior to July 1, 2026, shall be subject to any applicable local ordinances in place at the time the initial application was filed. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. This bill is identical to HB 711.
Phase I and Phase II Utilities; energy efficiency upgrades; low-income residents; report. States that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to reduce, wherever feasible and cost-effective, heating-related costs of living for low-income residents. The bill requires Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power to make best, reasonable efforts to provide by December 31, 2031, prescriptive efficiency measures, as defined in the bill, and related efficiency improvements to at least 30 percent of the qualifying households, as defined in the bill, identified by such utilities, provided that the State Corporation Commission determines that such measures and improvements are in the public interest. The bill requires such utilities to report to the Commission its activities, plans, and filings regarding the bill's provisions no later than January 1, 2028, annually thereafter, and in any recurring filing that the Commission deems appropriate. The bill also requires that Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power make reasonable efforts to incorporate recommendations or feedback provided by the task force that evaluates barriers to access and enrollment in programs for income-qualified energy customers. This bill is identical to HB 2.
Phase I and Phase II Utilities; energy efficiency upgrades; low-income residents; report. States that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to reduce, wherever feasible and cost-effective, heating-related costs of living for low-income residents. The bill requires Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power to make best, reasonable efforts to provide by December 31, 2031, prescriptive efficiency measures, as defined in the bill, and related efficiency improvements to at least 30 percent of the qualifying households, as defined in the bill, identified by such utilities, provided that the State Corporation Commission determines that such measures and improvements are in the public interest. The bill requires such utilities to report to the Commission its activities, plans, and filings regarding the bill's provisions no later than January 1, 2028, annually thereafter, and in any recurring filing that the Commission deems appropriate. The bill also requires that Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power make reasonable efforts to incorporate recommendations or feedback provided by the task force that evaluates barriers to access and enrollment in programs for income-qualified energy customers. This bill is identical to SB 72.
Land development; solar canopies in parking areas. Provides that any locality may include in its land development ordinances a provision that requires that an applicant must install a solar canopy over designated surface parking areas. Such provisions shall apply only to nonresidential parking areas with 100 or more new off-street contiguous parking spaces and may require coverage of up to 50 percent of the surface parking area. The bill provides that an ordinance adopted pursuant to this bill shall be subject to various additional requirements and shall allow for deviations, in whole or in part, from the requirements of the ordinance when its strict application would prevent the development of uses and densities otherwise allowed by the locality's zoning or development ordinance or when a property owner shows that the solar canopy, if installed as otherwise required under the ordinance, will generate less than 75 percent of the electricity that would be expected, given the nameplate capacity of the solar modules installed on such canopy, if the canopy were to be installed at another location in the locality without surrounding impediments to insolation such as buildings or shading vegetation. Finally, the bill provides that the applicant or owner may use the electric energy generated from such solar canopy to offset the consumption of the parking lot or adjoining building served under the same account. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 1234.
