Private colleges are moving forward when it comes to solar energy, and two southwest Virginia colleges are leading the way.
Emory & Henry started operating the community radio station by solar panels in November, and now they’re part of a 15 college council receiving more than $800,000 from the federal government to extend solar energy plans long-term.
There are people at Emory & Henry who have been waiting a long time to talk about solar energy on campus. Professor Ed Davis is one of them.
“There have been a group of people at this college dreaming of this for a decade,” he said.
A three year grant from the Department of Energy is making this a long-term conversation. Emory & Henry’s experience allows them to help create a model for efficiency when it comes to using solar power.
“The state’s policies are relevant here, how the county deals with taxation of a construction project, all these things lead to what you might call uncertainty,” Davis said.
The Appalachian School of Law in Grundy is also one of the participating colleges. Buzz Belleville helped develop a Live Client Clinic, where students will contribute legal expertise to the 15 schools.
“A number of students will be looking local ordinances to see if they have any building codes or zoning restrictions that would apply to or affect solar installation in those communities,” Belleville said.
He said other students will look at company utility policies to see if anything would prevent solar installation, while others are looking at making the document filing process easier.
“When we have to apply them to the state corporation commission, for our license for instance, we will be ready to do that when that time comes,” he said.
Other private colleges across the state will also contribute architectural and energy expertise.
The first meeting with all 15 schools will take place on Friday, Feb. 13.
Virginia private colleges looking for long-term solar energy solutions
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