Proposal would charge Virginia solar and storage developers a capacity-based fee

The Director would establish and run a program with guidance from a new board. The program would promote solar power and battery storage, support research and market development, and share information and training. The board would have 13 members, including 12 citizen members and the Director or a designee. The program may fund activities allowed for certain business associations, but it may not fund political campaign work.

The Department would assess a fee paid by the developer making the first purchase. The fee would cover solar photovoltaic projects and energy storage systems intended for use in Virginia. The fee would be $0.02 per watt, based on a solar project’s generation capacity or a storage system’s capacity, measured in alternating current. It would apply to a manufacturer’s sale to a developer planning to use the project or system in Virginia, including sales by manufacturers outside Virginia. The fee could be charged only once for each project or system.

The board would manage the fund, approve funded projects, and report its work to state leaders. The board would send an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly. Its chair would also send an annual summary of the board’s interim work. The fund would receive project fees, money appropriated for it, and gifts, grants, and other donations. Money could be spent only to run the program. The chair would submit the annual summary by the first day of each regular General Assembly session.