The Problem with Utility-Scale Solar in Rural Virginia — Why the Rockbridge Taxpayers Alliance Opposes Industrial Solar Projects

Posted on April 30, 2026 

 

Utility-scale solar development is expanding rapidly across rural Virginia. In counties like Rockbridge, large solar farms are increasingly proposed on agricultural land and forestland that have historically supported farming, forestry, tourism, and rural communities.

The Rockbridge Taxpayers Alliance supports solar technology when it strengthens local resilience and energy independence. Solar can play a useful role in Virginia’s energy mix.

However, RTA opposes the industrial-scale solar development model now being promoted across rural Virginia, because it is driven primarily by federal subsidies, financial markets, and large industrial electricity demand rather than the needs of rural communities.

Our position is simple: solar power should benefit local communities, not industrialize rural landscapes.

 

We Support Solar — But Not the Industrial Model

The Rockbridge Taxpayers Alliance is not opposed to solar technology. In fact, we support many forms of solar deployment, including:

 

• Residential rooftop solar
• Solar installations on farms and agricultural buildings
• Commercial and industrial rooftop solar
• Solar deployment by electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives
• Community solar projects serving local residents
• Solar installed on previously disturbed or industrial land

 

We were also disappointed that the Virginia General Assembly declined to adopt legislation this year allowing “balcony solar”, which would have allowed apartment and condominium residents to install small plug-in solar units.

That proposal represented exactly the type of citizen-level distributed solar innovation that should be encouraged.

Instead, current state and federal policies overwhelmingly favor large utility-scale solar projects, often covering hundreds or thousands of acres of rural land.

 

The Subsidy Structure Driving Utility-Scale Solar 

The current boom in utility-scale solar projects is largely driven by federal and state subsidy policies. 

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) dramatically expanded renewable energy tax incentives, including:

• Investment Tax Credits
• Production Tax Credits
• Bonus credits for domestic manufacturing
• Transferable tax credits that can be sold to investors 

These incentives allow developers to convert tax credits into financial assets purchased by banks, hedge funds, and large corporations seeking to offset their federal tax liabilities. 

Recent projections indicate that federal renewable energy subsidies could exceed $1 trillion over the coming decade. 

This policy structure has created a powerful financial incentive to build solar projects quickly, regardless of whether those projects provide meaningful value to the electric grid or to the communities hosting them. 

 

Solar Energy Density and Land Use

Solar power is an important technology, but it is also one of the most land-intensive forms of energy production. 

Typical planning estimates show:
• 5–8 acres required per megawatt of solar capacity

This means a 100-megawatt solar facility can require between 500 and 800 acres of land. 

In Virginia’s climate, solar facilities typically operate with a capacity factor of about 20–25 percent, meaning that actual electricity production averages only about one-fifth to one-quarter of maximum capacity. 

Large solar projects therefore require hundreds of acres of land to generate relatively modest amounts of electricity.

For rural counties like Rockbridge, this raises important questions about long-term land stewardship and farmland preservation.

 

Solar Development and Farmland Loss

 

Virginia has already experienced substantial farmland loss. 

According to USDA data:
• Virginia has lost more than one million acres of farmland since the late 1990s.

Utility-scale solar development adds another pressure on agricultural land. 

Many solar leases run 25 to 40 years, effectively removing the land from agricultural production for an entire generation.

While some projects incorporate pollinator plantings or limited grazing, these sites remain industrial energy facilities surrounded by fencing, electrical equipment, and access roads.

For rural economies built on agriculture, forestry, and tourism, this is a significant land-use change.

 

The PJM Interconnection Queue

 

Virginia is part of the PJM regional electricity grid, the largest wholesale power market in the United States. 

PJM has experienced an unprecedented surge in renewable energy proposals.

At one point, the PJM interconnection queue included:

• over 2,000 proposed solar projects
• more than 200 gigawatts of proposed capacity

For perspective, the entire PJM system currently operates with roughly 180 gigawatts of installed generation capacity.

This enormous backlog demonstrates how heavily subsidy policies have distorted the energy development market. 

Many projects enter the queue primarily to capture tax incentives rather than because they are needed for grid reliability. 

 

Data Centers and Virginia's Electricity Demand

The fastest growing electricity demand in Virginia is not coming from households. 

It is coming from data centers concentrated in Northern Virginia, which has become the largest data center market in the world. 

Estimates suggest that data centers could soon consume:
25–30 percent of Virginia’s electricity supply.

Utilities must find new generation sources to meet this demand.

Many of the solar projects proposed in rural Virginia are being developed to meet renewable energy requirements associated with these massive industrial electricity loads.

In effect, rural land and infrastructure are increasingly being used to support electricity consumption generated hundreds of miles away.

 

Hidden Infrastructure Costs 

Utility-scale solar facilities require substantial grid infrastructure, including: 

• transmission upgrades
• substations
• grid balancing resources
• interconnection infrastructure 

Although developers pay some of these costs, much of the infrastructure ultimately becomes part of the regulated electric grid.

Those costs are then recovered through ratepayer electricity bills. 

This means rural households may be helping to subsidize energy infrastructure built to serve large industrial consumers elsewhere. 

 

Rural Communities Deserve a Voice 

Land-use decisions have always been one of the most important responsibilities of local government. 

Rural counties like Rockbridge depend on:

• agriculture
• forestry
• tourism
• natural landscapes

Utility-scale solar facilities involve fencing, industrial electrical equipment, roads, and large panel arrays covering hundreds of acres.

Local residents deserve a meaningful voice in deciding whether their rural landscapes should be converted into industrial energy production zones. 

 

A More Balanced Energy Policy 

Virginia can pursue renewable energy without sacrificing farmland and forests. 

A more balanced approach would emphasize: 

• distributed solar generation
• community solar development
• rooftop solar
• farm-based solar installations
• solar on industrial or disturbed land
• transparent accounting of subsidy costs 

Solar technology should strengthen communities rather than transform rural counties into energy production zones. 

 

Conclusion 

The Rockbridge Taxpayers Alliance supports solar energy when it benefits local communities. 

But we oppose a policy structure that is rapidly converting rural Virginia into an industrial solar production zone while transferring vast public resources to financial markets and imposing hidden costs on ratepayers. 

Virginia can pursue renewable energy while still protecting farmland, forests, and rural communities. 

Until that balance is restored, RTA will continue to raise questions about the expansion of utility-scale solar in rural Virginia.