Public Comment in Support of HB285 As a Virginia public school division, I support efforts that improve clarity and coordination around Distributed Energy Resources (DER), particularly as they relate to energy resilience, emergency preparedness, and long-term cost management for public facilities. Establishing a statewide DER Task Force will help ensure that schools, local governments, utilities, and state agencies can collaboratively evaluate best practices and policy considerations as these technologies continue to evolve. HB285 represents a thoughtful, non-mandated approach to understanding how DER can better serve communities and critical facilities across the Commonwealth.

PEC supports more buildout of distributed solar in VA, which has a number of benefits over other types of renewable energy. A robust taskforce wold be a critical foundation from which we can build sensible policy and incentives that have the buy in of a wide range of stakeholders. Being close to where energy is needed and used, it is faster to connect to the energy grid and brings down the overall demand we need. The more we can install this type of energy generation, the larger scale generation and transmission projects we need- all of which have their own significant ratepayer impacts. It preserves prime agricultural lands, which contribute to local economies and aid in regional food security. It connects energy much more quickly to the grid, often in a matter of months, rather than the 5-10-year timelines for larger scale solar and gas. At a time when we are importing more energy than any other state in the U.S., and bills continue to skyrocket, this benefit is critical. It preserves forestland, which filters pollutants from the air and groundwater and contributes to healthy ecosystems. In addition to its direct environmental benefits, it can have additional indirect environmental benefits. For example, on warm days, parking lot solar canopies can have cooling effects for cars and buildings beneath them, potentially reducing the energy and emissions needed for air conditioning. It employs around 10 times more people than much larger solar facilities. It’s typically a much more efficient use of land, generating more power per acre than larger solar facilities. It can save individual families and businesses tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars over time in electric bills. As utility bills continue to rise due to rapidly increasing data center loads, those whose energy costs are locked in with solar will save even more over time. When combined with battery storage, solar insulates homes, farms and businesses from grid outages, allowing the owner to run essential functions with the combination of solar and storage. And, increasingly, some states are using “virtual power plants” to pay homeowners for their batteries. More specifically, virtual power plants pull a bit of power off of each in a collective of consumer batteries. When done at scale, this can achieve the same amount of power as a gas peaker plant at less cost. Virtual power plants have recently saved Texans hundreds of millions of dollars in electricity costs and kept their grid up during high stress events. Although distributed generation currently makes up less than 2% of Virginia’s energy mix, there is potential for much more. The National Renewable Energy Lab estimates that Virginia could generate around 20% of its electricity with rooftop solar alone. University research studies have found that solar on every parking lot could produce 50% of Virginia’s energy. And, if the state made it easier to install small agrivoltaics on its nearly 40,000 farms, it could generate even more energy. A small 1 megawatt project on each farm would total 40 gigawatts, which is more than current Dominion peak load. Even if we achieved 10% of this varied potential, the collective impact would be significant. All of this – all through a more robust volume of small projects that benefit the citizens and resources of Virginia and help mitigate impacts of climate change.

Members of the subcommittee: I am writing in support of HB285 (sponsored by Delegate Helmer) which mandates the creation of a Distributed Energy Task Force to advance local, affordable energy for Virginians across the state. Major US utilities have long feared the integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) into their service area portfolios because they believe DERs threaten the profitability goals of their business models. That's changing, fast. Many US utilities, including Green Mountain Power, National Grid, and Consolidated Edison have been running incentive programs that support micro-grids, commercial rooftop solar, customer-owned battery storage and other smart devices that stand up to the rigors of 21st century power demands. While Virginia has been leading the nation in data centers by packing them into every corner of the commonwealth, other states and utilities have realized that -- data centers or not -- today's electricity demand needs a modernized approach to providing it. These forward-looking utilities have also learned to operate under performance-based regulatory structures, which measure utilities by their ability to meet customer needs cheaply and efficiently, rather than merely guaranteeing them a fixed return on investment that pays off regardless of how they perform. It's hard to turn down a free lunch, which Dominion Energy now gets through its guaranteed ROI for energy investment under the current regulatory structure. If other utilities can adjust to changing times, so can Dominion. The advantages of DERs are many. The VA Distributed Solar Alliance points out that "DERs can be deployed in under a year and provide power where it is needed most. DERs reduce peak demand, improve reliability, and lower costs for all customers by deferring expensive grid upgrades. They also strengthen resilience while hedging energy costs for schools, hospitals, local governments, and small businesses." DERs enable the adoption of Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and can be effectively managed through Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) -- software that takes the guesswork out of increasingly intermittent supply and demand levels. The attached articles show how Texas has been leading the nation in using DERs as a key component in their green energy expansion efforts. Texas is as red-state as they come, and could care less about the climate. They're doing this for hard-core financial reasons. It's just good business. With the growth of data centers threatening the stability of power supplies for every electricity user in the state, it's only common sense to do what this bill asks for: study the opportunity offered by DERs from a Virginia perspective, and make an intelligent and data-supported recommendation for the path forward.

My comments relate to two bills: HB 9 and HB 285. I've read numerous reports about the time change and its effects on our circadian rhythm. After so many years of living with time changes, I am more than ready for our state to stick with standard time. Permanent daylight savings time is not the answer. I urge the committee members to vote no on HB 9. I urge committee members to endorse HB 285, which will recommend measures to coordinate and expand Distributed Energy Resources (DER) deployment in the state. VA needs to align its policy with PJM’s 2027 requirements, and remove barriers to market-driven solutions. DER has, when allowed to do so, a great track record in rapid deployment at lower costs than infrastructure such as gas and nuclear plants. The bill's proposed membership—state agencies, utilities, DER companies, local governments, energy customers, and consumer advocates—ensures broad input while avoiding utility veto power. This approach allows Virginia to build a coherent state strategy for DER growth, which is badly needed, especially for Virginia schools. Virginia will also be able to enhance grid reliability and affordability, and remain competitive in the Mid-Atlantic’s rapidly evolving energy landscape.

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Moving forward with the Distributed Energy Task Force to Advance Local, Affordable Energy makes great sense. It brings together the full body of stakeholders to advance energy affordability for all ratepayers, leverages the experience of other states, and will help us move forward to increase market access and reduce barriers to interconnection for DERs pursuant to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order 2222. Approving this shows our legislature is forward thinking, and wants an improved energy future for Virginia.

My name George Craig and I live in Winchester,, VA. I am writing in favor of HB 8 and ask for your support and "yes" vote. It is important for Virginia to be prepared when there is an Article V convention called and to ensure the commissioner sent follow the limitation of their authority. Thank you.