Yesterday’s Board of Supervisors Meeting brought another sustainability win, with unanimous approval for Supervisor Boddye’s Fast-track Climate Actions directive. Based on recommendations from the Sustainability Commission, the measure directs County staff to:
- Locate County-owned facilities where solar panels and battery storage backup power could decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and lower energy costs over time
- Scale up the County’s building energy efficiency program, decreasing utility costs and helping us reach 100% renewable electricity for County government operations by 2030
- Implement solar power on County Government buildings/property through a 3rd party Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) or purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)
- Encourage new data centers to purchase clean energy through Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) and Renewable Energy Certificates (REC)
- Coordinate with the Virginia Building and Code Officials Association on how state code could better foster clean energy implementation across the Commonwealth
- Engage with SolSmart Virginia to make solar permitting faster, easier, and more affordable for businesses in Prince William
- Increase residential use of solar by promoting Solarize NOVA to residents and continuing the review and updating of County solar permitting processes
- Request that a Virginia Department of Energy SolSmart consultation on the installation of solar panels and additional energy efficiency measures on County buildings
- Update the County’s Zoning Ordinance and Design and Construction Standards Manual to favor the use of less carbon-intensive backup systems instead of the current diesel or petroleum-powered backup systems
- Incentivize the conversion of privately-owned diesel and/or oil backup power systems to low-carbon or carbon-neutral systems
- Research programs such as community choice or local aggregation that may allow the County to procure alternative energy on behalf of residents, businesses, and local government, while still receiving transmission and distribution service from traditional providers
These measures will allow Prince William to take meaningful steps toward our Climate Mitigation & Resiliency goals as we eagerly await the County’s first Community Energy/Sustainability Master Plan, which the Sustainability Office and Commission will present to the Board later this year. Stay tuned!