Virginia Governor Ralph Northam two days ago signed the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), finally putting into law a 3.1GW energy storage target and a goal to achieve 100% renewable and clean energy by 2050 for the US Commonwealth State.

Passed into law as House Bill 1526 and Senate Bill 85, Northam had been an enthusiastic proponent of the plan, which brings Virginia into the New England and Mid-Atlantic US Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The delay in bringing it across the Governor’s desk to be signed was based first on lengthy utility industry pushback and then political debate in the bicameral legislative bodies of Virginia.

Described as “the first mandatory market-based program in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” on its website, the RGGI is cooperative between Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont and pertains to the capping of power sector emissions.

As reported by Energy-Storage.news in February, the VCEA includes an energy storage deployment target of 3.1GW by 2035 and Northam himself put out a 2019 Executive Order to attain the 100% clean energy by 2050 goal. As later reported by this site and sister site PV Tech in March as the bicameral lawmaking body passed the much-amended bill, the VCEA sets out technical and policy conditions by which Virginia can reach Governor Northam’s proposed goal.

"These new clean energy laws propel Virginia to leadership among the states in fighting climate change. They advance environmental justice and help create clean energy jobs. In Virginia, we are proving that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand-in-hand," Governor Northam said.