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Lawmakers OK bill to bring solar to low-income communities

The pilot program allows utility companies to supply residential and commercial customers with solar power from independent solar power farms throughout the state.

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia's General Assembly has passed a bill that aims to increase access to renewable energy for lower-income communities. 

House Bill 573, introduced by Fairfax Del. Mark Keam amends an existing solar development pilot program that requires utility companies to invest in renewable energy. Keam's bill adds the criteria of low-income communities to the current law. 

The pilot program allows utility companies like Richmond-based Dominion Energy to supply residential and commercial customers with solar power from independent solar farms throughout the state. 

Keam's bill mandates that utility companies have to ensure some of these farms are within a low-income community.  

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