Five years ago, Virginia did something no other Southern state had done: it approved a plan to transition to 100% clean energy. Today marks the fifth anniversary of the passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA). Advanced Energy United is proud to have played a key part in making VCEA the law of the land. Under the VCEA, Virginia’s GDP has already increased by about 11%. Virginia has been able to grow its economy as it’s simultaneously been able to help mitigate pollution: a win-win for both our industry and the state. 

Critics claimed that the VCEA would kill jobs. But tell that to the workers at Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley facility in Dublin, the largest manufacturing employer in Southwest Virginia — and Volvo’s largest truck factory in the world.

Since 2021, this 2.3 million-square-foot facility has been producing the VNR Electric, an all-electric truck that’s now a central part of Volvo’s global fleet strategy. That’s not some future promise; it’s happening here, and now. There are now 118,000 good-paying jobs in the Virginia advanced energy industry. Clean energy policy didn’t just enable new power generation; it helped signal to global manufacturers that Virginia is a smart place to do business.

VCEA is a first and crucial step forward in moving Virginia’s economy forward in the transition toward more clean energy. Clean energy and energy efficiency save ratepayers money over business-as-usual fossil energy. This has been proven. Dominion Energy’s latest Renewable Portfolio Standard plan saves ratepayers $118.5 billion in fuel costs over the lifespan of its renewable energy projects investments. While commodities like natural gas are subject to price fluctuations, technologies like renewable energy tend to get cheaper and cheaper. A fact that remains even in the face of uncertainty at the federal level. The latest analysis shows that renewables remain competitive with fossils, even without federal subsidies.

Without a doubt, there is more to do, and the circumstances have shifted. Rising energy demand is a new challenge, but not an insurmountable one. Many technologies exist that can help reduce energy use during extreme heat waves, make energy use more flexible depending on the time of day and keep costs lower for consumers. What is required is leadership and thoughtful planning to ensure we can continue moving forward, making Virginia’s grid more resilient, reliable and cost-effective. Unfortunately, legislative progress has slowed lately. Just last session, bipartisan bills that would keep us moving along in our energy transition, like HB 1833, which would expand rooftop solar in the state, and HB 2537, which would have expanded energy storage targets, were vetoed by Gov. Youngkin. These were common-sense tools that would’ve helped us meet energy demand reliably and affordably. At the same time, critical projects are being held up by antiquated permitting processes, which prevent us from getting low-cost clean energy onto the grid quickly. 

Critics also predicted the VCEA would hurt ratepayers and stall growth. But those predictions haven’t materialized. In fact, it’s the status quo, overreliance on volatile fossil fuel markets and an aging transmission system that poses the greater risk to affordability and reliability. If we ignore the lessons of the last five years, we won’t just lose momentum — we’ll lose the economic edge the VCEA helped create.

We elect our leaders to solve problems, and figuring out how to ensure we’re meeting energy demand with the most reliable, lowest-cost energy is simply a problem that requires a thoughtful solution. The next five years will require vision — and leaders who are willing to listen to what the data shows, not what partisan narratives say. Our businesses are ready to present solutions through this next phase of implementation and beyond. We invite both candidates for governor to talk with our industry, the companies creating the technology solutions to the commonwealth’s energy demand challenges, about how best to power up Virginia. Solutions have been proposed to speed up permitting, interconnection and efficiency, and we have the technology at our fingertips to transition to a 100% clean economy despite rising demand. What is needed now is a solutions-oriented focus to keep moving ahead on the path that VCEA set out, capitalizing on new technologies and continuing to show the world that Virginia is creating economic opportunities while simultaneously providing affordable and reliable energy.

The VCEA was a first step. The right one. Now is the time to build on it, not walk away.