Home Solar Panel Installation Trending in the Region
Solar installation companies are spreading, but buyers still must connect to the grid. Before signing a contract, a conversation with the local energy company is advised.
By Hank Silverberg
CORRESPONDENT
The increasing demand for electricity across Virginia is producing a boon in the installation of solar panels on private homes. They are now popping up on rooftops in the Fredericksburg area with regularity.
There are over 200 solar panel installation companies operating in Virginia. Many of them claim to have partnerships or relationships with the big power companies, but Tim Eberly, a spokesman for Dominion Energy, said that is not the case with all of them.
He said consumers should research any company they do business with and check out the longevity of the company. Eberly said, “Dominion Energy Solutions offers a free rooftop analysis for homeowners that reveals whether their homes are a good fit for rooftop solar panels and how much they could expect to save on their monthly electric bills.”
How many panels that are installed on a roof depends on how much electricity a home uses on average throughout the year.
Some of the solar power companies will sell and install the panels and connect them to the power grid, either for one upfront fee or with a multi-year loan. Others will install the panels for free but then charge a set monthly fee for the energy the panels produce for as long as 30 years.
Either way, home solar panels need to be hooked up to a power company grid. Any extra power produced by the panels is fed into the grid and the power companies will give credits that can be “spent” to cover the cost of extra power a home with solar panels requires when needed.
Dominion spokesman Carper said Dominion still charges fees to be hooked up to the grid even if panels give people the majority of the power needed. Despite pitches from some solar power installers, electricity will not be free. But, there could be substantial savings of between 5% and 30% with some systems.
Many of the solar panel companies do not provide a battery for storage of energy, though some will charge extra for a power storage system.
The federal government had provided tax credits to encourage the installation of solar power, but the tax credit program will expire on December 31 because it was eliminated by President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed by Congress earlier this year.
Dominion Energy says overall demand for power in Virginia is up 5% in the past year and is likely to continue to rise. According to a Dominion spokesman Craig Carper, as much as 70% of that new demand is coming from data centers. He said that will necessitate the need for new power plants over the next decade, and it will likely mean a rise in electricity rates to help pay for them.
Dominion Energy’s clean energy goals include a 2.6 GW wind turbine project off Virginia’s coast, one of the largest in the country. The company’s website says it could go online as early as March 2026, producing enough energy to power 660,000 homes.
Despite the current policy shift away from wind and solar power by the Trump Administration, renewable electricity generation continues to grow rapidly worldwide. According to the International Energy Agency, (IEA) Renewables 2025 – Analysis - IEA global capacity is expected to more than double by 2030.
China continues to take a leading role in renewable energy that includes solar, wind and other forms. At the U.N. Climate Summit in New York last week, China’s president Xi JinPing made it clear that his country is now leading the way on renewable energy. China invested $625 billion in clean energy last year, about a third of what is being spent around the world. That puts China well ahead of the United States in producing renewable energy.
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