One of the United States’ leading residential solar installers, Vivint Solar, has continued what is turning out to be an impressive year of expansion, by announcing that it has expanded into the state of Virginia.
At the beginning of the year, Vivint Solar only operated across 14 states, but that number has already grown to 20 states this year, with expansions into Rhode Island, Colorado, Vermont, New Hampshire, a return to Nevada after a two-year absence due to state-policies, and the newly announced expansion into Virginia.
The move into Virginia is both a massive opportunity and an interesting move. The US Energy Information Administration states that Virginia only generates 0.9% of its electricity from solar energy, with only 241.5 megawatts (MW) installed — though 192.4 MW of that was installed in 2016. Vivint Solar believes this represents “a great opportunity for rooftop solar in the state” — but I can’t help but wonder whether one of the reasons there is so little solar is that there is less interest in the state.
Nevertheless, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has also recently signed clean energy legislation which aims to promote the use of solar and other renewable energy options around the state, giving Vivint Solar a good leg up in the state.
“We applaud Virginia’s commitment to grow its clean energy sector and are thrilled to bring Vivint Solar’s affordable solar energy services to this promising market,” said David Bywater, CEO of Vivint Solar. “With Vivint Solar, Virginia residents can take their first step toward energy independence and do so in a way that can benefit their wallets and the environment.”
Source: cleantechnica.com
