Going solar in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia

Cover of the Solar Roadmap for Southwest Virginia

CONTACT: Adam Wells, Appalachian Voices, New Economy Program Manager, 276-679-1691, adam@appvoices.org Matt Wasson, Appalachian Voices, Director of Programs, 828-262-1500, matt@appvoices.org Cat McCue, Director of Communications, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Wise County, Va. — A group of local leaders from far Southwest Virginia has crafted a nuts-and-bolts “how-to” plan for spurring growth of the solar industry in the…

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Seeking Opportunities in Solar Energy

Solar panels being installed

Solar energy is on the rise across the nation. According to The Solar Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing solar energy, “one out of every 50 new jobs added in the United States in 2016 was created by the solar industry.” Restrictive policies and lower population density, however, have led to solar power being…

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Former Coal Company Town Integrates Energy Efficiency and Solar

By Dan Radmacher Powering a coal museum with solar panels is the kind of news story that attracts attention, as the city of Benham, Ky., discovered. “It’s put us on the map internationally,” says former Benham Power Board chairman Roy Silver of the decision to install solar panels on top of the Kentucky Coal Museum,…

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Unique Solar Applications

By Otto Solberg Although solar fields generate large amounts of renewable energy, the ground underneath is commonly planted with turf grasses that do not effectively drain rainwater and require carbon-wasting maintenance. These innovative applications of solar energy are minimizing those negative impacts and creating more benefits for incorporating solar. Sun-Raised Sheep To maintain the land…

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Solarize Wise (Va.) running strong with Sigora Solar on board

Solar panels on roof of jail

Contact: Lydia Graves, Solarize Wise Program Coordinator, Lydia@appvoices.org, (276) 679-1691 NOTE TO EDITORS: These photos (here and here) are available to download and print. Caption: Solar thermal hot water system on the roof of the Duffield Regional Jail in Scott County, Va. Photo credit: Christine Gyovai. In the last several months, more than 45 people…

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Energy Report Newsbites

Jobs in solar outnumber coal in Virginia; U.S. Dept. of Energy seeks to extract rare earth elements from coal; U.S. Dept. of Interior pans to accelerate drilling for oil and gas on federal lands; Duke Energy withdraws plan to add chemical compounds to coal-fired power plants that would have threatened drinking water.

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