Sun at Work in Virginia

Nearly 235,000 solar panels, with help from the sun, are at work for Dominion Virginia Power customers now that the company has completed construction on three large-scale solar facilities in three Virginia counties – Isle of Wight, Louisa and Powhatan. At peak output, these facilities will produce 56 megawatts (MW) of emission-free generation, enough to power more than 14,000 homes.

“The successful completion of these solar projects is a result of the proficient collaboration between Dominion, the counties and the skilled crafts personnel that worked diligently and safely to get the job done,” said Mark D. Mitchell, vice president of Generation Construction. “We remain focused on meeting the energy needs of customers, and adding to our solar generation fleet continues to play an essential role in that effort.”

Amec Foster Wheeler, Dominion’s construction contractor, managed the facilities through the engineering and environmental permitting process in the first half of 2016, and completed construction over the next five months to become operational in December 2016. Most of the construction workers were hired locally within all three counties resulting in an economic boost for the Commonwealth.  Dominion acquired the solar development in Isle of Wight from Coronal Development Services and the development in Powhatan from Virginia Solar LLC. The facility in Louisa was developed by Dominion.

At a glance:

• More than 550 jobs created during construction.
• $74.2 million cumulative economic impact from 2015-2017 for the state.
• Solar panel count:
  • Powhatan – 71,820 panels (17MW)
  • Isle of Wight – 79,572 panels (19MW)
  • Louisa – 83,600 panels (20MW)

Dominion now has announced 391 megawatts of large-scale solar facilities under development or already in operation in 12 Virginia localities. This amounts to enough electricity at peak capacity to power more than 95,000 homes.

Source: PR Newswire