Utility-scale wind power has served as one of the fastest-growing energy technologies for the past two decades. Wind power has an advantage over solar in that it scales vertically instead of horizontally; that is, it requires only a small footprint to support foundations and towers leaving the land around a wind turbine available for other purposes such as farming, grazing, parking lots, athletic fields, etc. Another advantage is that wind power can be available at all times, while solar is only available during daylight hours.

To date, utility-scale wind power has not yet been constructed in Virginia, although a project has been designed and permitted and is close to construction in Botetourt County. This is the Rocky Forge wind project that has been developed by Apex Clean Energy based in Charlottesville. Once built, this project will generate energy to power thousands of homes in Virginia.

The Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Energy provides a vast array of services intended to advance utility-scale wind power in Virginia. Our office is equipped to deploy meteorological towers for direct measurements of wind resources and to conduct desktop analyses of potential wind sites; we engage in communities to develop ordinances for permitting; and we conduct an array of research projects designed to advance offshore wind in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic.