Advanced Energy Economy, a national association of businesses that are focused on making energy secure, clean and affordable, is supportive of the Virginia Senate for passing SB 851, the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), a bill that puts the state on a trajectory for 100% clean energy by 2045 while saving customers money and creating thousands of jobs.
The Senate vote was 22-17 for SB 851, the same bill passed by the House of Delegates.
The bill contains four main objectives:
- Prioritize investment in the least-cost clean energy resource – energy efficiency – which helps reduce waste and save Virginians money.
- Harness the power of cost-competitive clean energy resources, like wind, solar and energy storage, to power Virginia’s electricity grid.
- Steadily reduce Virginia’s reliance on fossil-fired generation, with targets to drive emissions from coal, oil and natural gas plants to zero by 2045.
- Unlock rooftop solar and let more Virginians take part in Virginia’s clean energy economy by rolling-back unnecessary regulations and increasing the cap on solar power purchase agreements from 50 MW to 1,000 MW.
“We applaud the Virginia Senate for completing final passage of this historic legislation, which puts Virginia on a path to 100% clean energy by 2045 by transitioning to more energy efficiency, solar and wind energy resources,” says Harry Godfrey, director at Advanced Energy.
“This is a leap forward in Virginia energy policy. With the passage of this legislation, practically, our Commonwealth has committed to a carbon-free future,” he adds.
Photo: Virginia Senate in session
