Chantilly, Virginia. (AP) -- Travelers taking off and landing at Dulles International Airport outside the nation's capital will soon see 200,000 solar panels near the runway, the largest renewable energy project ever built at a U.S. airport.
Dominion Energy and the Washington, DC Airports Authority held opening ceremonies for the 835-acre project on Tuesday.
Solar power generation is just a small part of Dominion's larger effort to increase solar power capacity by 16,000 megawatts, enough to power 4 million homes by 2035 to comply with state laws mandating 100 percent electricity generation. . Achieve zero emissions by 2045.
Rural Virginia, however, resisted the expansion of solar power, as residents complained about farmland, building damage, and construction noise. In recent months, Henry, Pennsylvania, Clark and Shenandoah counties have taken steps to restrict or regulate new solar projects.
It's unfair that rural areas are bearing the brunt of solar energy, said Clark County Superintendent Bev McKay.
At a board meeting last month, he said that urban areas are "large consumers of electricity and there is no reason why urban areas cannot produce solar energy if they depend on rural areas."
Others have to make enormous expenses. The Dominion and Public Corporation Commission forecasts a 72% increase in electricity costs between 2020 and 2035. Governor Glenn Youngkin has proposed overhauling clean energy generation laws.
Earlier Tuesday, US Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., commended the local leaders who took on the Dallas project and spoke of the need for such a project. However, in an interview, he acknowledged that his office is receiving more and more complaints about solar energy production and said that solar energy projects are only part of the solution to meeting energy needs in a sustainable way.
"This is an unresolved issue and therefore there can be no one-size-fits-all solution," he added.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Virginia is one of ten states, along with the District of Columbia, that have committed to producing 100 percent clean or renewable energy between 2030 and 2050. Solar power is an important part of the country's plans, but not the only one. For example, Virginia law allows nuclear power to be included in the Dominion Task Force.
The Dallas project adds 100 megawatts of solar power plus 50 megawatts of batteries, enough to power about 37,000 homes. It is expected to create 300 jobs and be completed by 2026.
Dominion says it has added around 2,000 megawatts of solar capacity while operating. It has an additional 7,000 megawatts, including the Dallas project, which is in various stages of development. That means Dominion must find a dozen more plants across the state over the next few years to meet its 16,000-megawatt goal.
Edward Payne, president of Dominion Energy Virginia, said his company is working with local governments to bring the projects to fruition. For example, he says that some early designs did not include plant supports to reduce visual impact. This type of buffer is now the standard.
"We want to make sure that the counties are happy with the progress of the projects," he said.
However, for the Dallas project, visibility is a benefit, not a flaw. Officials point to the symbolic importance of the huge solar project, which travelers will see at the airport as a hub for international travel in the region.
"The picture you see now when you look out the window after landing and see the solar panels installed at this airport is a picture of the progress we want to show the world," Fairfax County said. This is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Jeff MacKay.
