The second Trump administration has treated renewable energy like a tomato can; it’s unreliable, it’s expensive, it’s a scam. But when the rubber meets the road, electric utilities are still turning to carbon-free energy sources.
In an annual Request for Proposals (RFP) issued this week, Dominion Energy Virginia (DEV) and Dominion Energy North Carolina (DENC) are exclusively seeking bids for power purchase agreements (PPAs) with new solar, onshore wind, and energy storage projects in Virginia and North Carolina. Dominion says the PPAs will support its customers’ future energy needs, as outlined in the company’s most recent Integrated Resource Plan. The projects associated with the PPAs will also support local jobs, increase spending in local communities, and bring in new tax revenue for local governments.
Dominion is interested in proposals for five categories:
- New photovoltaic (“PV”) solar: Utility-scale (>3 MW) and distributed projects (<3 MW)
- New PV solar generation co-located with energy storage
- New onshore wind
- New onshore wind co-located with energy storage
- New stand-alone energy storage
The company will consider facilities located in Virginia and North Carolina. For distributed projects smaller than 3 megawatts (MW), the facilities must be located within the DEV or DENC service territories, where there are location grid benefits to Dominion Energy customers. Dominion encourages the submission of PPAs from solar, onshore wind, and energy storage projects on previously developed sites, such as former landfills or industrial uses.
All participating bidders must register by submitting an Intent to Bid Form and an executed confidentiality agreement (CA) by January 20, 2026. The Intent to Bid Form, CA, and other additional information on this RFP can be found near the bottom of the page linked here. The deadline for submitting proposals is February 9, 2026.
Why Renewables Still Make Sense
Love ’em or hate ’em, renewables comprise the bulk of new power generation coming onto the grid in the United States, accounting for about 90% of additions thus far in 2025 and roughly the same throughout all of last year.
Interconnection queues packed with clean energy projects can be explained to some degree by widespread federal support over most of the last decade, in addition to the more than two dozen states and territories actively adhering to emissions reduction legislation to the benefit of more than half the U.S. population.
The bottom line, however, is that solar, wind, and storage are the most cost-effective and fastest-to-market generation solutions available. Why wait for a gas turbine when a solar+storage site can be brought online in half the time? Even without tax incentives, most stakeholders recognize that renewables will play a sizable role in addressing unprecedented load growth spurred by data centers.
More Utilities Procuring Clean Power
Dominion Energy is far from the only utility seeking to add clean power to its system. Last month, fellow southern U.S. service provider Georgia Power got the green light from the Georgia Public Service Commission for five new PPAs, adding more than 1,000 MW of large-scale solar capacity across the state. The projects were selected through the company’s 2023 Clean and Renewable Energy Subscription (CARES) request for proposals, part of the utility’s 2022 integrated resource plan (IRP). Each facility will be built and operated by third-party developers under long-term PPAs.
The utility also received approval to procure 500 MW of energy storage, to be online no later than the end of 2031. That RFP, administered by independent evaluator Ascend Analytics on behalf of Georgia Power, solicits standalone storage with grid-charging capability and energy storage with new or existing renewable resources and grid-charging capability.
Xcel Energy subsidiary Southwest Public Service Company (SPS) announced new generation resource additions in July as part of an overall portfolio to meet the “rapidly rising” energy needs of its Texas and New Mexico service areas.
Even in an area rich in gas infrastructure, a significant portion of the utility’s 2024 request for proposals consists of bids for solar and wind projects. The selected portfolio included extensions of 521 MW of existing generation and 17 new power projects that will add 5,168 MW of new nameplate capacity and 3,121 MW of accredited capacity to the SPS system by 2030. Technologies selected include 3,200 MW of dispatchable generation and energy storage and 1,968 MW of wind and solar generation.
Other utilities recently issuing RFPs for clean power and storage include Tennessee Valley Authority, Appalachian Power, and PECO.
