Company Update Archives

Building a Sustainable Future for Rural Communities

By Lea Maamari|2020-11-19T14:00:58-05:00November 19th, 2020|Company Update, Industry, Virginia Solar, Workforce Development|

By Francis Hodsoll and Melody S. Gee Melody S. Gee is a business and technical writer in St. Louis, MO. From September 15 through October 30, 2020, Tom Tom Foundation hosted the City Rising Summit, a virtual gathering of global changemakers whose sessions focused on creating sound solutions for community recovery and rebuilding after COVID-19. During Week 7, “The Small City Movement,” SolUnesco CEO Francis Hodsoll and Becky Campbell, Manager of Government Affairs at First Solar held a fire-side-chat. Together,

SHINE Continues to Prepare the Next Generation of Solar Workers

By Lea Maamari|2019-12-23T09:52:03-05:00December 20th, 2019|Company Update, Construction, Industry, Virginia Solar, Workforce Development|

by Francis Hodsoll, Jon Hillis and Melody S. Gee Melody S. Gee is a business and technical writer in St. Louis, MO. Since 2018, The Solar Hands-on Instructional Network of Excellence (SHINE) has worked with Southside Virginia Community College and solar developers like SolUnesco to educate, train, and secure jobs for a new generation of solar workers. As Virginia commits legislatively to meeting ambitious renewable energy goals, and corporations like Microsoft are making major solar purchases in the state, SHINE

How SolUnesco Helped Launch SHINE, an Immersive Solar Training Program

By Lea Maamari|2019-12-05T16:19:14-05:00November 18th, 2019|Company Update, Industry, Virginia Solar, Workforce Development|

by Francis Hodsoll, Jon Hillis and Melody S. Gee Melody S. Gee is a business and technical writer in St. Louis, MO. SHINE: Partnerships that Bridge Gaps The Solar Hands-On Instructional Network of Excellence (SHINE), is a public-private partnership dedicated to building innovative solar career pathways in Virginia. SHINE’s mission is to develop a qualified, diverse, equitable, and inclusive solar workforce, equip Virginians with the tools and knowledge to enter the solar sector, help solar developers and construction companies source

How SolUnesco Became One of Virginia’s Leading Solar Developers

By Lea Maamari|2019-08-22T14:46:54-04:00August 22nd, 2019|Company Update, Virginia Solar|

by Francis Hodsoll, Jon Hillis and Melody S. Gee Melody S. Gee is a business and technical writer in St. Louis, MO. Next spring, SolUnesco will celebrate five years as one of our state’s leading solar developers. As we reflect on our growth and the excitement of upcoming projects, we wanted to share the story of our beginnings: two passionate developers, a well-timed market opportunity, and deep commitment to best practices. Seizing Opportunity from the Beginning In 2015, Jon Hillis

What Local Governments Need to Know about Sustainable Practices

By Lea Maamari|2019-07-09T12:58:53-04:00July 9th, 2019|Company Update, Industry, Policy, Virginia Solar|

by Francis Hodsoll and Melody S. Gee Melody S. Gee is a business and technical writer in St. Louis, MO. At the 2019 SolSmart Virginia Local Government Solar Procurement Meeting on June 17, Francis Hodsoll joined five other presenters for a workshop focused on learning, sharing, and discussing solar procurement opportunities for local governments. Topics included green tariffs, non-utility procurement options, the market dynamics and the drivers of solar generation’s extraordinary growth, and examples of successful local government procurement. In his presentation, Hodsoll spoke to local governments eager to

Our State Legislature’s Role in a Clean Energy Future

By Lea Maamari|2019-05-29T12:57:32-04:00May 29th, 2019|Company Update, Industry, Land Use, Policy, Virginia Solar|

A Panel Presentation Recap from the 2019 Tom Tom Summit and Festival by Francis Hodsoll and Melody S. Gee Melody S. Gee is a business and technical writer in St. Louis, MO. This April, SolUnesco CEO, Francis Hodsoll, moderated and presented on a panel at the Tom Tom Summit and Festival in Charlottesville. This annual event brings together a diverse group of thought leaders to discuss a revitalized approach to civic life and community, and this year devoted an entire

Best Practices for Utility-Scale Solar Decommissioning in Virginia Pt. 2

By Lea Maamari|2019-04-25T11:56:12-04:00April 25th, 2019|Company Update, Industry, Land Use, Policy, Virginia Solar|

by Lea Maamari and Melody S. Gee Melody S. Gee is a business and technical writer in St. Louis, MO. On March 27, SolUnesco president Jon Hillis presented at the 2019 Environment Virginia Symposium. Speaking to other industry and environmental leaders, Jon covered the evolving nature of Virginia counties’ requirements imposed on solar electric generation facilities as part of their permitting process. Jon generally focused on the decommissioning requirements placed by the counties on these solar facilities. For the past year, SolUnesco has conducted research and published reports on Virginia’s decommissioning requirements across all ninety-five counties (Review of Counties

The Unified Future of Clean Energy

By Lea Maamari|2019-04-25T10:44:44-04:00March 28th, 2019|Company Update, Industry, Land Use, Policy, Virginia Solar|

By Francis Hodsoll, Lea Maamari and Melody S. Gee Melody S. Gee is a business and technical writer in St. Louis, MO. Decarbonizing energy through solar and wind technologies, as well as harnessing geothermal, hydropower, and biomass power, moves us toward meeting American’s growing desire for zero emission, zero carbon energy. The question of how and whether these discreet clean energy industries can join forces or align interests has stirred efforts and prompted discussion among industry experts and stakeholders, including at the recent Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) Conference this past October. In this article, we explore the possibilities of organized and unified efforts among clean

A Trifecta of SolUnesco Announcements

Company Update, Industry, Virginia Solar

A Trifecta of SolUnesco Announcements

By Lea Maamari|2018-10-10T12:40:46-04:00October 10th, 2018|Company Update, Industry, Virginia Solar|

They say good things come in threes. The SolUnesco team has worked hard all summer and has achieved a hattrick of exciting news to report. SolUnesco Partners with Apex Clean Energy On Sept 4, 2018, SolUnesco inked an agreement with Apex Clean Energy that resulted in the sale of 390 MW of SolUnesco’s pipeline. This agreement affects four projects: Carvers Creek, Moody Creek, Red Brick, and Rivanna, each of which ranges from 11 to 150 MWac. SolUnesco will continue to

Challenges and Opportunities in Virginia’s Solar Energy

Company Update, Industry, Land Use, Virginia Solar

Challenges and Opportunities in Virginia’s Solar Energy

By Lea Maamari|2018-10-02T14:37:24-04:00October 2nd, 2018|Company Update, Industry, Land Use, Virginia Solar|

This past week, SolUnesco’s CEO , participated in a session entitled “The Rubin Group: Lessons from Virginia at Solar Power International. During the session, Hodsoll discussed how Virginia has rapidly become a clean energy state. In addition, Hodsoll discussed the challenges and opportunities that still exist for solar energy development in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia’s Painfully Slow Start Francis outlined three key interrelated challenges that the industry is facing: Inertia: Virginia is inhibited by an outdated regulatory system that