Virginia regulators approve 80 MW amazon solar farm

Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Sept. 28 announced that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality plans to issue a permit for an 80 MW solar facility in northern Accomack County, Va. The project will more than quadruple the amount of solar energy currently installed in the Commonwealth, according to a statement issued by the governor’s office.

Community Energy is the developer and owner of the solar facility, called the Amazon Solar Farm US East. The company partnered with Amazon Web Services in a long-term power purchase agreement for the project. “The partnership between Community Energy and Amazon Web Services, which will result in the largest solar facility in the mid-Atlantic, is indicative of the types of opportunities that my administration is working toward through our commitment to build a new Virginia economy,” McAuliffe said. “The solar energy industry holds tremendous potential for economic growth in Virginia in the coming years, and I look forward to bringing more projects like this to the Commonwealth.” 

Community Energy expects to begin construction on the project later this year, and place the project in commercial operation in 2016, according to the company’s website. “This solar project is a first for Virginia and a giant step forward for clean power on the East Coast,” Brent Alderfer, president of Community Energy, said in a statement. “With this project, Virginia jumps to the lead in attracting the energy industry of the future, with cloud-technology leader Amazon Web Services as the first customer.” 

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/09/virginia-regulators-approve-80-mw-amazon-solar-farm.html