2021-2023 Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia Action Plan

This Action Plan summary serves to outline the goals, action strategies, and implementation plan for realizing these priorities within the Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia. Click Here to view the Action Plan Update.

Solar Roadmap for Southwest Virginia 

In November 2017, the Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia has released a report detailing a multi-faceted strategy for establishing a vibrant solar energy hub in the coalfields of far Southwest Virginia. “The Roadmap to Accelerate the Solar Industry in Far Southwest Virginia” explores the fundamental issues of:

  • Accessing capital and financing options
  • Promoting policies that support the solar industry
  • Building workforce development and solar value chain opportunities
  • Maximizing community education

Download the report
Download the executive summary
Watch a webinar on the Roadmap

The roadmap also identifies 15 local “ambassador sites” — residential, commercial and community-scale — that are ideal for solar installations in the near-term, and which would then serve as models for further deployment of solar projects.

The Solar Workgroup was founded in 2016 to explore the viability of employing solar energy to help revive the economy of the seven counties of far Southwest Virginia, where communities are re-imagining their future as the coal industry continues to decline. The Workgroup is co-convened by Appalachian Voices, People Inc., and the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, with facilitation assistance from Dialogue + Design Associates.