BIG STONE GAP — The Virginia Department of Energy (Virginia Energy) recently received $1 million in funding that will establish the Virginia Energy Resilience program.
The goal of the program is to ensure communities have a plan for improving community energy resilience during major weather events, according to the department.
“Virginians must have affordable and reliable energy,” said Virginia Energy Director Glenn Davis. “Businesses and families should not have to worry about whether the lights will turn on or if the heat will work during a major winter storm. This project is a great step toward easing those fears and ensuring resiliency.”
According to Virginia Energy, the first step will offer planning assistance to 35 communities identified as historically disadvantaged. Virginia Energy and project partners will study grid data and demographics and recruit to assist interested communities in developing the energy resilience plans, it said.
The second phase of the project will identify 10 communities to assist in developing shovel-ready designs for solar and battery storage installations, sites that can serve as emergency shelters in the event of power outages, the department added.
Partners on the project include James Madison University’s Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Energy, The Clean Energy States Alliance, Resilient Virginia, The Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia and Virginia Clean Cities.
“The U.S. Department of Energy has been instrumental in advancing the development of cleaner and more reliable energy technologies, those that can enable practical energy solutions for communities,” said JMU CASE Executive Director Jonathan Miles. “This partnership will leverage these technologies as well as the skills and experience of experts state-wide, to address current and future energy challenges and to deliver greater energy resilience in communities throughout the Commonwealth.”
Communities interested in participating or that have additional questions may contact Virginia Energy at resilience@energy.virginia.gov The federal grant came from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office.
