LTE by Linda Harder, CCAN Action Fund Volunteer from Oakton, VA, initially published in The Fairfax Times.

Expanding access to clean energy in Virginia by passing the Community Access to Renewable Energy Act (CARE Act) is good for many reasons, but what matters most to me and many others on a budget is how it could help lower costs on our energy bills. To me, this is a win-win because having solar panels on our rooftops saves money and keeps the air cleaner by using cleaner energy sources than energy generated at a power plant.

The key difference between solar and non-renewable energy sources is that solar has zero fuel costs. Solar technology uses the sun’s rays free of charge, unlike other energy sources that use oil and gas, which have high, unpredictable price tags.

And you don’t even have to install solar on your own roof to benefit from lower costs — the more solar any Virginian uses, the more benefits all Virginians see. The more energy we generate locally by solar, the less energy needs to be generated from large, more expensive fossil fuel plants. That means lower energy costs for everyone.

Thank you to our legislators for coming together in a bipartisan way to pass the CARE Act to help Virginians save on energy costs. I urge Governor Youngkin to sign these bills into law so that we can all reap the benefits.

Linda Harder, CCAN Action Fund Volunteer from Oakton, VA.