Sit a site in the Solar Exchange & attend VSS22 FREE!

Can any landowner really attend the entire 2022 Virginia Solar Summit free just by registering their land as a potential project site? What’s the catch?

Yes, any public or private landowner can attend the 2022 Virginia Solar Summit free by registering their potential ground-mounted solar power project in the Solar Exchange! There is no catch! Landowners are not required to sign anything, say anything or agree to anything. The Solar Exchange is simply an opportunity to connect with numerous solar professionals and network with solar developers in one place at one time. The rest of the conference is an opportunity to learn more about solar development, which includes landowner-specific sessions designed specifically to provide knowledge, resources and Q&A with leading experts in the public and private sector, including staff from Virginia DEQ, Virginia Energy, SCC, U.S. EPA. U.S. DOE and others.

Are my meals and drinks included with my free landowner ticket to the Virginia Solar Summit?

Yes. There are no strings and you will not sign anything to participate.

What if I’m not sure I want to build a solar project on my property? Can I still attend?

Yes! Any landowner may enter their site and attend no matter how early-stage or conceptual a ground-mounted solar energy installation might be. As a networking, information-gathering and market discovery exercise, the primary purpose of the Solar Exchange is to explore the potential of every project.

Is there a fee or percentage that will come out of my (future) project if I make a successful connection at the 2022 Virginia Solar Summit?

No! This networking-only event is for informational purposes only! You are not required to sign any legal document or agree to any contract to participate in the Solar Exchange, nor should any other participant ask you to do so during the event itself or at any time during the 2022 Virginia Solar Summit! We certainly hope you make the connection or find the spark that leads to ultimate solar success on your site, but the Virginia Solar Summit is a purely catalytic conference and a force at market level that is never directly involved with any specific solar project.

The Virginia Solar Summit is a forum only and not a broker, service provider or advisor of any kind, nor do we track, monitor or “police” activity in the marketspace that we create during the summit.

How does the Solar Exchange work? 

The information you provide about your potential solar development site is held by the Virginia Solar Summit and not shared until ~48 hours prior to the event. At that time, solar developers and other professionals participating in the Solar Exchange will receive summary information of every site participating, and you will receive similar summary information about the potential counterparts you will meet during the Solar Exchange's round-robin meetings. If these are solar speed meetings, or speed dating, it is not blind dating!

If I have a solar RFP or RFQ, can the Virginia Solar Summit include that with my information or help me distribute it? 

Yes, both during and after the event. If you are a community, city, company or private landowner curious about siting solar power on your property, then there's no better opportunity in 2022 to dig into the solar marketplace and explore possibilities in the solar marketplace directly. And if you already have a solar RFP or RFQ, or are preparing one, then this is your only chance to get face-to-face for market feedback from multiple participants in a fast-paced round robin forum you won't find anywhere else.

Is the information I provide about my property shared?

Yes. Information you share with us about your property is shared with other conference attendees and throughout the wider Virginia Solar Summit community.

Can I withhold information about myself, my interest and/or my property?

Yes. Full disclosure is not required to participate in the Solar Exchange. You may choose to share only partial information or no information in advance, other than that you have a site. We encourage information exchange in advance of meeting face-to-face during the fast-paced Solar Exchange, if only to get the basics out of the way because time is short during these speed-meeting sessions, yet some landowners in the past have chosen to only communicate verbally during the event itself.

What if I change my mind about my information after the conference?

Landowners may notify us without 48 following the conclusion of the 2022 Virginia Solar Summit to remove their information from the registry before being shared widely online.

Can I bring an advisory, attorney or other professional to sit with me in the Solar Exchange?

Yes. Limited +1 seats may still be available, on a first come first serve basis, but your professional advisor may register and participate along with you during the Solar Exchange.

Can I send my advisor, attorney or other professional to sit in my place in the Solar Exchange?

Yes. You may designate anyone to sit in your stead, or you may notify us of a change following your registration and we will be more than happy to accommodate your designee.

What if I cannot physically attend the 2022 Virginia Solar Summit, but I still want to share my property information?

Communities and landowners who cannot attend may still share their property information and indicate that they will not be physically present.

Can I bring any materials with me?

Yes, maps can be particularly helpful! You and your fellow participants may use any small laptop or hand-held device, small table-top displays, maps, marketing brochures, info sheets, business cards or other takeaway collateral for informational purposes… but this is a fast-moving, informational-only, no pressure, no gifts and no-contracting networking event. At no time should anyone offer you anything of substantial value or ask you to sign anything!

Is this event for residential homeowners with potential solar projects?

No. This is not an event for residential solar projects, rather everything else!

What makes the best kind of land for a solar project?

Whether farm field, greenfield, brownfield, active facility, previously mined land or even Superfund site, all types of property is encouraged to participate in the Solar Exchange at the 2022 Virginia Solar Summit and get multiple sets of expert solar eyes on your potential ground-mounted solar power project site to see what the market might bear!

Can I get help in advance? 

Yes, contact us with your questions! Though the Virginia Solar Summit is merely a forum and not a consultant or advisor in any capacity, we can connect you with Virginia Energy, Virginia DEQ, the State Corporation Commission, U.S. EPA, U.S. DOE staff and private sector professionals who may be able to help you!

Does a solar farm destroy or damage farmland?

No. It is a common misconception that solar development is as intensive as previous land development modes, such as suburban development. But a solar farm requires one of the least intensive development footprints of any land development, and maintains environmental integrity and ecological function even without pro-habitat and/or pro-pollinator solar developments. A “fancy” follow use, and basically, a solar farm constructs rows of post-hole fencing that is strung together and connected to the grid, leaving the soil to breathe and the critters to root.

What is the potential revenue of a solar development on my property?

The precise answer will depend on the location, size and many project-specifics, such as the cost of interconnection to the grid, but landowners across the Greater Virginia region can expect to lease their property across the region from anywhere between $200 to $900 per acre.

What is the potential public tax revenue from a large scale solar farm in my community?

Large scale solar developments can generate millions of dollars in local tax revenue. In some early-adopting rural counties, a new utility-scale solar farm can become the biggest taxpayer in the county on Day 1.