Land Use Archives - SolUnesco

Clearing the Path for Solar: MAREC Action Highlights Opportunity for Policy Action in Virginia

By Lea Maamari|2025-05-21T11:19:38-04:00May 21st, 2025|Land Use, News, Policy|

The Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition (MAREC) Action shines a light on one of the most pressing barriers to Virginia’s clean energy future: inconsistent local solar siting regulations. According to the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center Solar Database, currently more than half of Virginia’s counties have either banned or significantly restricted utility-scale solar development. From strict acreage caps to conflicting land-use rules, many local governments have created a regulatory framework that makes it nearly impossible to implement new solar projects

How I Became a GIS Expert Using the ‘Sink or Swim’ Method

By Janell Cloud|2025-04-25T14:20:49-04:00April 23rd, 2025|Land Use, SolU Team|

By Janell Cloud, Jr. Development Associate Thrown into the Deep End When I first joined SolUnesco, I was brought on board to support the project development team in their site origination work. One of the responsibilities that intimidated me the most was working with geographical data. At that time, I was a recent marketing graduate with little technical experience, and I quickly realized that I was about to be thrown into the deep end. The stakes were high—my work would

Answering Your Neighbor’s Questions: Solar is Safe, Quiet, and Low-Impact

By Lea Maamari|2025-06-20T16:41:34-04:00December 15th, 2020|Land Use, Virginia Solar|

Answering Your Questions (And your neighbors' too!) We in the solar industry receive many questions about a solar facility’s components, how Utility-Scale solar will impact the surrounding communities, and what effects solar equipment technology might have on the environment. Today, we’re bringing you answers from the latest research on solar technology, installation processes, operations, and more. Bottom line, solar is one of the safest, if not the safest, technologies producing electricity and as a land use results in an inconsequential impact. Solar was first deployed by the US over sixty years ago. Research on solar technology is second to none. Is solar equipment safe?

Our State Legislature’s Role in a Clean Energy Future

By Lea Maamari|2025-06-20T13:02:12-04:00May 29th, 2019|Company Update, Industry, Land Use, Policy, Virginia Solar|

Tom Tom Summit and Festival 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 day to renewable energy. Hodsoll and three co-panelists, Chip Dicks, Will Reisinger, and Rachel Smucker, explored how Virginia legislators impact the adoption of clean energy technologies and

The Unified Future of Clean Energy

By Lea Maamari|2025-06-20T13:01:12-04:00March 28th, 2019|Company Update, Industry, Land Use, Policy, Virginia Solar|

Where We Can All Agree 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 energy providers, with some key insights from SolUnesco CEO Francis Hodsoll. Recognizing first that this has been an ongoing conversation among

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|2025-06-18T16:24:36-04:00October 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 was

Local Permitting: Impact on Solar

Land Use, Virginia Solar

Local Permitting: Impact on Solar

By Francis Hodsoll|2025-06-18T16:16:03-04:00January 29th, 2018|Land Use, Virginia Solar|

Solar Sprawl? For nearly a decade, my business partner and I have devoted our hearts and considerable time to developing a sustainable solar energy market in Virginia. However, the local permitting process poses a significant risk to the long-term viability of the market. In this companion piece to the previous blog post on our successful permitting experience in Orange County, Virginia, we offer our perspectives on local permitting and the concerns typically raised by local communities. We hope we can