Democrats Revive Clean-Energy Bills as Spanberger Prepares to Take Office

With Democrats in full control of the General Assembly and Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger preparing to take office, lawmakers are reviving familiar proposals they hope will finally earn a governor’s signature. Chief among them are bills aimed at expanding renewable energy use and strengthening Virginia’s clean-energy workforce.

Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, has filed Senate Bill 26, which would allow localities to require developers to build solar canopies over parking lots as part of their development ordinances.

“I think that solar canopies can go far in ensuring that we have more accessible space to have solar and to get developers, and not only suburban, but rural areas as well, to do their part to help us with our expansion into more clean energy,” Carroll Foy said.

The requirement would apply only to nonresidential parking lots with more than 100 spaces, and localities could mandate canopies on up to 50% of the lot, according to the bill. It also gives localities the flexibility to waive the requirement if the added cost would be prohibitive for companies building initial projects.

Carroll Foy said she wants to give individual counties more tools to help the state meet its Virginia Clean Economy Act targets while getting as many kilowatts on the grid as possible without sacrificing agricultural land for utility-scale solar projects.

“I think this is low-hanging fruit,” Carroll Foy said. “If we can put as many solar panels as possible on top of schools, on top of parking garages, on space that’s available but unusable for pretty much anything else, I think that makes total sense, and it also helps us preserve our farmland.”

A similar measure passed the General Assembly during the 2025 regular session, but Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed it, arguing that parking lot solar is too expensive and that “if it were economically viable, developers would already be incorporating it into their projects.”

Across the aisle, Del. Delores Oates, R-Warren, is introducing a bill that would allow the use of small solar panels that plug directly into a home outlet and can be set up on a balcony without a utility contract. The goal is to help homeowners offset some of their electricity use when they are unable to participate in rooftop solar programs.

“Right now, solar is something you can only do if you own a house and have the right kind of roof,” Oates said. “This bill opens the door for everyone else: apartment-dwellers, condo owners, and people in homes shaded by trees. It’s a small change that helps a lot of people.”

The small portable panels are estimated to cost $600-1200 and can offset an estimated $10-20 on utility bills, according to Oates.

Carroll Foy is also again pushing to strengthen the offshore wind workforce in Virginia with Senate Bill 25.

Despite the Trump Administration pulling funding for several offshore wind projects, Dominion Energy’s major project off Virginia’s coast remains on track to begin operating in 2026. Carroll Foy said she wants to ensure workers are trained for the offshore wind sector and the broader renewable energy industry.

“Unfortunately, we have a federal administration, and we had some Republicans who don’t believe in the climate crisis, but I believe in science backed and not science fiction,” Carroll Foy said. “And whatever we can do to ensure that we can continue to build our clean energy projects, while also putting Virginians to work and addressing any shortage that we may have in this industry or in the Department of Energy, then that’s exactly what we want to do.”

The bill directs the Virginia Department of Energy to establish training programs for the offshore wind industry and to prioritize veterans, local workers, and disadvantaged communities.

Youngkin vetoed the same bill last year, saying that rising project costs and project cancellations made additional workforce investment unwise.

Both bills will be taken up during the 2026 regular session, which begins Jan. 14.

by Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury

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