Currituck Chamber Celebrates New Oak Trail Solar Project

Oak Trail Solar, a 100-megawatt (MW), Leeward Renewables Energy (LRE) project was recently completed near Moyock, North Carolina; with Verizon Communications committing to a long-term virtual purchase agreement.  A celebratory ribbon cutting, hosted by LRE and the American Clean Power Association (ACP) featured comments from Chief Executive Officer of LRE, Jason Allen; LRE Board Member, Mary Doswell; ACP CEO, Jason Grumet; Nextracker President, Strategy, Software & Administration, Bruce Ledesma; Verizon SVP, Global Supply Chain & Sourcing, and Chief Sustainability Officer, Jim Gowen; and Currituck County Commissioner, Owen Etheridge.  “Currituck County is excited to have a renewable energy project like Oak Trail Solar in our community,” said Josh Bass, President of the Currituck Chamber of Commerce. “The project helps us on a number of fronts and supports funding for essential services that keep our community strong. LRE’s collaboration and values have built good relationships in Currituck County, and we’re looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Oak Trail Solar.”  Companies large and small are setting sustainability goals, encouraging new clean energy projects across the nation. Solar projects are known to deliver significant economic benefits to the local community for years and years to come. Oak Solar is no exception as the project created 300 jobs during peak construction and will continue to provide long-term clean energy jobs and property tax contributions to Currituck County.  “Oak Trail Solar is another example of how LRE seeks to meaningfully contribute to the communities where we live and operate. Our engagement goes well beyond job creation, economic investment, and the generation of clean, renewable energy. We strive to build lasting partnerships with civic leaders, property owners, and community members. At Oak Trail Solar, we are committed to doing just that while preserving and protecting the environment,” says Jason Allen, LRE’s Chief Executive Officer Clean energy projects have a great impact on the communities in which they reside. Not only do they offer good-paying careers, but they also contribute to the business community and provide excellent economic development opportunities, making them a perfect ally for a chamber of commerce to have.

If you would like to learn more about clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Michele Querry.

Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy | 2804 Battleground Drive, Murfreesboro, TN 37129 Unsubscribe cicecoordinator@chambersforinnovation.com Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by mquerry@chambersforinnovation.com powered by Try email marketing for free today!

Knox County Chamber event raises question: How might solar energy benefit Knox County?

Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy partnered with the Knox County Chamber of Commerce as they hosted a lunch and learn on January 26 at The Gallagher Centre about the upcoming solar development in Knox County; including a panel of experienced leaders who shared the economic and community benefits of utility-scale solar, as well as the regulatory process for solar developments.This article was published by Knox Pages on January 27, 2023.

MOUNT VERNON — How could Knox County become energy independent? That was the topic of discussion at the Knox Chamber of Commerce Event Thursday afternoon at the Gallagher Centre. "As we talk about solar, it's really about energy independence, right?" Brian Dicken, with Toledo's Regional Chamber of Commerce, said. "And we certainly see gas prices fluctuate pretty wildly over the past couple of years. International issues come into play. "When you talk about wind, solar, certainly natural gas and oil are big in Ohio. It all fits within that energy portfolio."  Dicken's example for renewable energy was a 500-megawatt power plant that takes between 18 to 24 months to construct. Such a plant would bring in between 400 to 500 jobs, not all permanent. "But for that year and a half, you're gonna have those individuals working in your communities, come to your restaurants, getting their cars worked on," he said. "So there's certainly a local benefit to that."  The question remained: How do communities become interested and willing participants in solar energy?  "As we're trying to develop the industry, how do we get people interested and be prepared to maybe build that next solo project?" Dicken said. "Sometimes we hear about the infrastructure. Companies are required to restore roads and other infrastructure that may be disrupted during that. That's a requirement that they have to fulfill."  Some of the tax money that comes from renewable energy goes back to local schools, Dicken said. He also touched on the economic effect that the solar panel supply chain can bring, using the example of Perrysville-based company First Solar.  "They have more than 200 supply decks across the state," Dicken said. "You may know somebody who works as part of the solar supply chain. They may not be building the panel but certainly those component and services that come into it."  In return, it can make Ohio attractive for future sustainable energy businesses, Dicken said. Matt Butler, public information officer with Ohio Power Siting Board, spoke on how renewable energy projects are processed and approved by the state. "Our job is to review energy projects across the state before any developer can construct one of those facilities," Butler said. The board is comprised of some voting members, directors of state agencies from Ohio EPA, the department of agriculture, development, natural resources and health. A seventh board member is a public professional engineer appointed by the governor, Butler said. When renewable projects are involved, two additional votes come from the township affected and one from the county.  The board's process, consisting of an application, public hearings and approving or disapproving the project, generally takes about a year to complete for solar projects, Butler said.  Every project has to establish a "complaint resolution process," which is a way for community members to voice their concerns.  "If there's a land owner who has concerns that a field tile was broken on the of the property, and that is creating drainage issues on his neighboring property, that's going to be taken care of," Butler said. "In fact, we have a standard condition that requires them to repair at their expense. "You might wonder if a 25- to 30-year-end of life facility like this, what's going to happen (then)? Is this just gonna be left her in the ground for us to deal with as a community or as a landowner? And that's not the case." A decommissioning bond is required, that's put in place up front for the full replacement value of the facility with the bond adjusting every five years, Butler said. The bond would be used to take the facility up out of the ground and restore it to its preexisting use.

If you would like to learn more about clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Ryan Evans.

Logan County Chamber Ensures that their Community is Well Informed on Solar

Utility-scale solar developments have been on the rise in Ohio over the last two years and with those developments comes great economic benefits for the communities where they are located. Recognizing that there are many potential upsides to solar developments but also recognizing that residents and community leaders have questions about the technology, regulations, community impacts, and economic development opportunities, chambers of commerce are increasingly looking to provide legitimate, third-party expert validated information.   The Logan County Chamber of Commerce (OH) recently partnered with Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy to provide a Utility-Scale Solar Forum in conjunction with a regular meeting of the Logan County Community Improvement Corporation. This event was targeted at community leaders, in a grass tops strategy, to help ensure that the information presented would flow to the local population from trusted sources.  Presentations included: The Economic Power of Solar- Brian Dicken (IOM); Vice President, Advocacy and Strategic Initiatives, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce. Ohio Power Siting Board Permitting Process and Criteria- Matt Butler; Public Information Officer, Ohio Power Siting Board. PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) Orientation and SB 52 Regulations for Solar- Dylan Borchers; Energy, Environment & Utilities Attorney, Bricker & Eckler Attorneys at Law. Power of the PILOT and Community Impacts of Renewable Energy- Jeff Snyder; Superintendent, Lincolnview Local Schools (Van Wert County) A Farmer and Landowner’s Perspective- Mike Pullins, Farm owner (Champaign County) The Logan County Chamber of Commerce provided a great example of engaging grass tops leaders in a discussion on an important and significant matter for their community. Whether or not a chamber takes a position on public policy matters, local infrastructure projects, or utility-scale solar developments, as the voice of business, each chamber can follow the lead of the Logan County Chamber and at least look to ensure that the community is well informed.

If you would like to learn more about clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Ryan Evans.

Tucson Metro Chamber - Providing Leadership to the Growing Clean Energy Sector

With 56k clean energy jobs (and growing) and $15B in capital investment, there is tremendous business opportunity in Arizona’s clean energy sector. Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) recently published a report titled 'Arizona Clean Energy Jobs and Economic Impact' with even more details on this rapid growth. The Tucson Metro Chamber is a great example of a local chamber leveraging the area's historical business strengths while capitalizing on growth in new sectors. Capturing solar energy The Tucson Chamber membership includes many solar companies such as Solon, Saguaro, Solgen, Sunpro, and The Solar Store - to name just a few. So when software company Accela asked Michael Guymon, Tucson Chamber CEO, to join the steering committee for a new solar app, Michael was pleased to have the opportunity to support this important sector. According to Utility Drive, Accela’s recently released SolarAPP+ allows solar installers to complete permit applications online, reducing approval wait times from weeks to hours. Tucson residents are by far the most active users in Accela’s pilot program. According to Guymon, “Not only is this a great tool for residents, but it is being expanded to support commercial businesses as well”.   Rapid deployment of EVs and EV Chargers  With the rapid growth of EV sales and Arizona a major hub for EV manufacturing, the Tucson Metro Chamber is working with the City of Tucson to craft policies supporting EV drivers. The City of Tucson requires new residential construction be wired with the infrastructure needed for EV charging stations and is looking at a similar policy for new commercial construction. According to Michael Guymon, “As the City moves their discussions to the commercial sector, we want to make sure any ordinances or code amendments recognize the changes we anticipate in the EV marketplace. On top of this, we absolutely want to get as much of the federal funding available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for EV deployment as possible”.  The supply chain needed to support EVs and clean energy presents equally valuable opportunities. SunCorridor, Inc, southern Arizona’s economic development organization and partner to the Chamber, is leveraging the strength of existing businesses to recruit more jobs to the area. Copper mining is a major industry for Arizona with sixty percent of the nation’s copper coming from southern Arizona. Much copper is needed to support growth in electric vehicles (EVs) over the next decade. According to Guymon, “not only do the clean energy and mining sectors overlap, but also the tech sector. Five years ago, the Chamber, Sun Corridor, The Arizona Commerce Authority and several government partners recruited Caterpillar’s Surface Mining and Technology Division to Tucson thanks to our region’s strength in mining technology.”  Workforce Development Chambers are keenly aware that attracting and retaining businesses requires a highly skilled workforce. The Tucson Chamber works with University of Arizona's Science & Technology Park innovation hubs to bring industry and research together to advance technology. The Park’s Solar Zone is one of the largest multi-technology solar testing and evaluation sites in the United States.  The Tucson Metro Chamber is in the unique position to integrate its long-standing businesses, clean energy startups, educational institutions, and skilled workforce in a way that brings much success to the Tucson economy.

If you would like to learn more about navigating clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Anne Feldhusen.

‌

Working Toward Sunny Opportunities

Michelle Rotellini, president/CEO of the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce in West Virginia, composed an Op-Ed to illustrate the impact solar energy development has on West Virginia's economy, job growth, and economic development opportunities. Rotellini understands the importance of diversifying energy supply, and the chamber supports an "all of the above" approach to energy generation in the Mountain State. This editorial was published by the Register-Herald on March 11, 2022. 

Solar power development in our region may seem to be an unlikely path for economic growth, but it’s well on its way to creating a stronger and more sustainable economy in Raleigh County. As our state and federal leaders work toward building a stronger West Virginia economy, the Beckley-Raleigh Chamber of Commerce understands firsthand the importance of diversifying our energy supply. Raleigh County is proud to be home to the first large solar farm in the state. The project, Raleigh Solar, is expected to bring in a $40 million economic investment to the county, $55.1 million to the state and the creation of 400 jobs during construction. This endeavor is not only good for our local economy but also workforce development. As business leaders, we recognize that it’s not an either-or situation. The future economic growth in this area could benefit from the diversification of energy sources, including renewable energy options such as solar. The chamber supports an “all of the above” approach to energy options to ensure the future economic growth of the Beckley-Raleigh County area and all of southern West Virginia. We stand with energy providers as they continue to diversify and are excited to partner with them as they expand into new forms of energy. We believe that this opportunity is a positive step in attracting new businesses and commerce. As Sen. Joe Manchin pointed out on a West Virginia energy and economic development panel, clean energy is an integral part of West Virginia’s future growth and key to an all-in energy plan.  In this time of economic uncertainty and instability, one thing we should all be behind is the importance of diversifying our energy sources and the role renewable energy plays in local economic growth. We see a bright future for all West Virginians and we encourage our state and federal lawmakers to support opportunities to diversify our state’s energy portfolio to grow a stronger, cleaner economy. Michelle Rotellini, president/CEO of the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce.

If you would like to learn more about clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Susan Munroe.

‌