Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
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Department of Energy
 
Board
Department of Energy
 
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7/2/18  3:31 pm
Commenter: Mr. H. Bishop Dansby

Solar Power
 

The state through the department of education or otherwise could give local school systems the incentives they need to embrace solar. Solar would reduce their energy costs both with respect to existing schools and in schools planned to be built. Harrisonburg recently built a new elementary school with an energy efficiency of 11 kbtu/sf/yr, which is 4 times better than required by the building code and 6 times better than the national average for schools. Solar panels are being planned, which due to the energy efficiency of the structure will make the school a net zero energy building. The 2,000 schools in Virginia have the potential of generating a gigawatt of solar power, equivalent to a sizable power plant!

I also strongly suggest measures that would increase the probability that new commercial buildings and houses be adaptable to solar power. So many buildings are not suitable for solar for one reason or another, and this is a waste. Appropriate solar building code requirements could change this. If the building infrastructure is not used to harvest the sun, there will be needless waste of farm land devoted to solar farms. 

Much can be done with parking lots, which now are deserts of ugliness and hot asphalt. These can be turned into generators of electricity, while at the same time providing shade for vehicles, saving energy from a/c's once the cars are underway.

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