Solar in the Coalfields – A Future Powered by the Sun

Episode 43 Description

Dialogue + Design Associates is the sister company to the Yes! We Rise Podcast. They provide facilitation, community engagement, and help everyday community members and leaders come together, envision their future, and find tools and resources to make that vision a reality. 

In 2016, a few groups approached Dialogue + Design in the hopes of creating a community-based effort to grow the solar energy economy in Southwest Virginia. In today’s episode, Christine shares the history behind this initial vision and the incredible progress that has been made. From a recording from a recent gathering and celebration of a new solar system at Wise Primary school, you will also hear from folks with a direct role in the growth and progress that has been made since the Solar Workgroup’s inception in 2016. 

Job opportunities have been created, resources and education are being provided, and policies in Southwest Virginia are changing. As coal dwindles as a resource and solar becomes a more prominent source of energy, Southwest Virginia continues to be an energy hub with prospects for a growing and thriving economic future. Welcome!

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Key takeaways

Forming a vision for solar in Southwest Virginia

In 2016, at the first Economic Forum at University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA-Wise), Appalachian Voices, People Incorporated, and UVA-Wise shared a vision of bringing solar energy to schools, local governments, and communities in Southwest Virginia. It was then that the idea for the Solar Workgroup was created, and Dialogue + Design was brought on as the Workgroup facilitator.

The vision for the Solar Workgroup is that, “Southwest Virginia is a solar leader in the Commonwealth and in Central Appalachia, building on the region’s proud history as an energy leader and working to realize the economic, environmental and resiliency benefits of solar energy for all southwest Virginia community members.”

To get there they have laid out four primary goals:

1. Identify sites ideal for solar development, making Southwest Virginia a hub for solar energy.
2. Grow workforce development and entrepreneurship opportunities to advance solar projects, maximizing local benefits.
3. Expand education and outreach in communities and with local leaders around solar benefits and opportunities.
4. Promote policy changes that will help grow solar and energy storage industries in southwest Virginia.

In the six years since the Workgroup started, significant work has taken place to advance these four goals including community education and outreach, hosting events including a highly successful Solar Fair, two residential scale Solarize programs, a regional SolSmart program to make solar more accessible at the home and locality level, and three commercial-scale competitive bid processes for solar installers in the region. 

To support training and education and foster commercial scale solar installations, Secure Futures was brought on to work with the Solar Workgroup through a competitive selection process. They created an apprenticeship program providing tools and training to install solar panels in partnership with Mountain Empire Community College, Lonesome Pine Solar, and GOT Electric. There has been significant work to advance commercial scale projects in the region, including building partnerships, new training programs and creating new jobs – including at schools like the solar system installation at Wise Primary.

According to a recent article in Appalachian Voice’s Front Porch blog, “Estimates are that solar installations on Wise County schools will save the system $7 million to $8 million in electricity costs over their lifespans — savings that will benefit local taxpayers. But the effort is about more than clean energy and saving money.” 

Apprenticeship as an example of what’s possible

It has been through collaborations with Secure Futures, Appalachian Voices, and others, that students have had the opportunity to participate in a solar apprenticeship program in the Securing Solar partnership. They were given training, solar installation opportunities, a fair hourly wage, and the necessary equipment. 

There is also hope of bringing solar beyond businesses, schools, and government buildings. Dean Rose of Mountain Empire Community College, one of the speakers from the community gathering at Wise Primary featured in this episode, explains that if the economics of solar panels and installation were fully adapted, it would be more accessible to homeowners. This could create more jobs and opportunities for solar installation and maintenance.

Solar has been growing as an option in the region, but it took significant work to really advance large-scale projects – now many new solar systems are moving forward with school systems in Wise and Lee Counties. Joshua Kraybill is the Senior Project Manager for GOT Electric, and has seen these installations come to fruition firsthand in Wise County. There is still work to do though.

Joshua notes how, “engaging with our partners in the community, schools, the trade schools, and the local workforce, [we are] here to help provide opportunities for them to pursue this path.” These jobs are not short term, and Wise County is at the forefront of this energy development in Virginia.

Advocacy and policy change for solar progress

For a project to move forward, immense networking and partnership is required, as well as internal work. Behind the scenes of an installation you’ll find security features, an engineering team, a guidance team, and a project management team. The support of folks who truly believe in the vision and the goal is what will really advance a project though. It is through this belief that hard work has been put into advocating and changing policies. Laws have been changed, town members have come together, and education and training has been welcomed. 

Legislative victories have included expanding power purchase agreements and net metering. Net metering ensures schools and localities get credit on their bills for the solar power they’re producing. Power Purchase Agreements allow non-profit entities to take advantage of the federal tax credits relevant to solar. This also opens up greater access to solar for nonprofit businesses by allowing another third party to take advantage of the tax credit and pass the savings along to the nonprofit.

This important work is not over yet. The advocacy work that is needed is now around skill training and creating more jobs within the community. There are currently no policies that allow for community solar and shared solar, which would directly increase job opportunities.

Through the hard work of local leaders and supporters over the past few years, policies have been changed allowing solar installation projects to move forward, and the investment of time, money, and energy continues as the vision of the Solar Workgroup is actualized one step at a time. The future is indeed bright for solar in Southwest Virginia. 

Notable quotes 

“This system, and the ones like it, are a real symbol of Southwest Virginia being an energy leader for generations to come. But the real praise needs to go to our apprentices. I am so proud of these young people who did the installation work and launched their careers in the solar and electric industry right here in Southwest Virginia.” -Matt McFadden

“This gives us the opportunity to obtain energy that we need as a school system and save money doing so.” – Dr. Mullins 

“We had students who helped with the installation. They were paid to train, their equipment was paid for, we paid a really nice hourly wage, and it’s such a joy to see them diving in.” – Dr. Mullins

“We have the resources, but like so many other people, we need students that are driven enough to come in to do it.” -Dean Rose

“It’s only from the conception of the project all the way through the installation of the panels and all the elements and the peoples that participate in that process, that were able to achieve this. So this really is a community event.” – Joshua Kraybill

“Some of the greatest needs for solar are helping to manage the costs of electricity that are rising for people in the community… And solar is a very good option to help mitigate some of those costs.” – Joshua Kraybill

“We want to come in and engage with local partners and build a local workforce that we’re employing, and that will stay in the community, and that continue to help build out the solar in the area.” – Joshua Kraybill

“Look at how these projects move forward as people leave in the future.” – Matt McFadden

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED

To find out more about the Solar Workgroup, you can check out their website and sign up for their newsletter.

Learn more about the amazing partners that have made this group possible, including Appalachian Voices, UVA Wise, and People Incorporated.

Find out more about the organizations that provided funding and support to the Solar Workgroup: Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, Appalachian Solar Finance Fund, and Secure Futures.

The Yes! We Rise podcast features solutions-seekers, change-makers, and those creating a resilient future. We share stories and strategies to inspire action to build resilience and community transformation. To create change, people need to feel like they belong and that they are part of a growing movement. They need to know their voice matters and that they have the inspiration, agency and ability to transform their lives and their communities. They are the key to a resilient future.

From the Navajo Nation to the mountains of Appalachia, incredible work is being done by community members and leaders. Change is often sparked by inspiration: seeing what others have done, especially in similar situations and places. People see that when someone looks like them or lives in a place like theirs, and has created real, true and lasting change, change that will allow their granddaughters and grandsons to thrive — they begin to imagine what might be possible for them. No longer waiting for someone else to come and save them, they realize they are the ones they have been waiting for. But what creates that spark? What creates that inspiration? Learning through stories and examples, feeling a sense of agency and belonging, and getting fired up to kick ass creates that spark.

We Rise helps community leaders and members learn to forge a new path toward creating resilience and true transformation. One person at a time, one community at a time, one region at a time, the quilt of transformation can grow piece by piece until resilience becomes the norm instead of the exception. Together, we rise.