Southwest Virginia Solar Workgroup Receives Award

The Southwest Virginia Solar Workgroup received the first Torchbearer award at the 2018 SWVA Economic Forum held in May on the campus of UVA-Wise. The honor, accepted on behalf of the workgroup by co-conveners Adam Wells of Appalachian Voices and Mark Moormans of People Incorporated, is a new annual award designated to a group that is working for economic progress for the region.

The Solar Workgroup was formed as a result of conversations that began at the inaugural Southwest Virginia Economic Forum in 2016; its goal is to create a locally rooted solar industry in Southwest Virginia as an economic development catalyst. In 2017 the workgroup released the Roadmap for Solar Development in Southwest Virginia, which identified strategies to advance the four goals of the workgroup: establishing commercial-scale rooftop solar projects, workforce development, education and outreach, and state-level policy changes.

The workgroup was nominated for the Torchbearer award by the economic forum planning committee as an exemplary effort that emerged from the event and has had deep impact on the region while including a broad set of stakeholders.