Subcommittee backs bill letting localities require solar canopies over large parking lots

Delegate Sewell sponsored a substitute to House Bill 12‑34 that would permit localities to require solar canopies over new or expanded nonresidential parking lots of 100 or more spaces and to allow up to 50% of a lot to be covered by canopies. Sewell told the subcommittee the measure is permissive and not a statewide mandate; localities would decide whether the policy fits local climate, energy and land‑use goals.

"If adopted, a locality can require canopies over up to 50% of the lot generating clean energy that can directly power nearby buildings, lower utility costs, and reduce heat island effects," Sewell said, describing exemptions for primarily residential or mixed‑use projects.

Witnesses from conservation and environmental organizations broadly supported the bill. Jay Ford of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation called the policy an important tool to accelerate distributed generation in the built environment, while Blair Sandler Olson of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters noted the synergy with electric‑vehicle readiness. Commercial stakeholders, including the Virginia Association for Commercial Real Estate and Walmart, said negotiations with the patron improved the bill's posture.

Following extensive in‑room and online testimony, the committee reported HB 12‑34 with the substitute on a unanimous recorded tally of 19–0. The measure advances with a permissive framework and a 2027 effective window to allow for planning and implementation.