The Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia provides notice that it intends to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for partnership in the Southwest Virginia 2021 Residential Solar Program. This program will provide for the development of residential-scale solar projects for homeowners, small businesses, and farms in the coalfield region of Southwest Virginia. The Workgroup is facilitating this group purchase program as part of its mission to utilize the development of solar energy as an economic catalyst in far SWVA (Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the City of Norton).

In this forthcoming RFP, the Workgroup is seeking proposals for a residential-scale developer to conduct solar assessments for homeowners in at least 2 of the 7 coalfield counties, and install those projects determined to be cost-effective and financeable. The RFP will be issued February 24th, 2021, and responses will be due March 24th. The Workgroup will conduct a pre-bid meeting on March 8th at 2pm. You can register for the pre-bid meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PWkP42qzSUqCnQyGyYUjKQ. Questions regarding the RFP are due March 10th.

The primary goal of the program is to work with homeowners and developers to find solar solutions that are cost-effective. Through the Residential Solar Program, the Workgroup provides no-cost technical assistance to homeowners throughout the procurement process. 

The Workgroup is composed of nonprofit and community action agencies, colleges, state agencies, planning district commissions, and other interested citizens and businesses engaged in developing a renewable energy industry cluster in the seven coalfield counties of Southwest Virginia. The Workgroup was co-convened in 2016 by the UVA-Wise Office of Economic Development & Engagement, People Inc., and Appalachian Voices, with facilitation assistance from Dialogue + Design Associates, policy and legal analysis from Southern Environmental Law Center, program development assistance from the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, technical assistance from paleBLUEdot, and regional solar planning with The Nature Conservancy.

Additional background information is available at www.swvasolar.org. 

Contact Chelsea Barnes with the Solar Workgroup at chelsea@appvoices.org or (614) 205-6424. Interested homeowners can sign up for the program at: https://swvasolar.org/solarize-southwest-virginia/