Dominion Virginia Power, one of the largest producers and transporters of energy in the U.S., announced that its application for a $5 million grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission has been approved. The money will be used to demonstrate a utility-scale solar and battery storage project that can effectively manage, store, and optimize solar energy to regulate intermittency, enable peak shaving and increase grid reliability.
“This grant is the kick-start to what would be the largest solar project in Virginia,” said Mary C. Dowell, Dominion’s senior vice president of Alternative Energy Solutions. “We know that it will take all forms of energy, including renewable forms such as this facility, to meet the growing demand for electricity from our customers.”
The company says it is looking to close a gap of nearly 5,600 megawatts between supply and demand projected for 2019.
The next step for the company is to issue a request for proposals for the engineering, procurement and construction of the 4-megawatt solar facility, which will occupy 50 acres of land in Halifax County, making the facility the largest in the region. Dominion expects the project will create 100 construction jobs.
The $35-million integrated solar and advanced energy storage facility is expected to begin operating in 2012, pending regulatory approvals. The company plans to ask the Virginia State Corporation Commission for approval in 2011.
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