Charlottesville-based Sun Tribe Solar was picked to put the installations at 3 state agencies on the Virginia Department of Forestry headquarters in Charlottesville, the Virginia Public Safety Training Center in Hanover, and the Haynesville Correctional Center on the Northern Neck said Governor Ralph Northman announced on Thursday.
As the price of solar installations continues to drop, Virginia's solar industry has experienced a rapid expansion, said Northam. These solar projects will help our state agencies reduce their energy costs while transitioning toward more renewable energy deployment, which is an important goal of my administration.
According to a release, these projects will represent more than 1.3 MW of solar deployment. The project at the VDOF will supply about 16 percent of the buildings electrical power needs. The one plus safety Training Center will supply about 26 percent of the electricity it uses, and the correctional system project will supply about 16 percent of its electrical needs.
The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy requested bids for the projects and worked with a program team to design them.
These on-site solar projects open up market opportunities for private solar installation companies while providing the Commonwealth with behind-the-meter generation to significantly reduce agency energy bills, said DMME Director John Warren.
The VDOF project will begin in February and be finished in March. The other two projects need more lead time and will not begin until April with completion expected in May.