About
Powered by Facts is designed to provide information on energy production and consumption in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Residents of Virginia deserve the cheapest, safest and most reliable energy possible. Virginians deserve an unbiased, fact-based source to question, probe and bring transparency to our energy choices.
We plan to provide as much information as we can through Powered by Facts about traditional and non-traditional energy resources in Virginia and to help dispel the myths about cost, safety and reliability. We hope that by highlighting the energy issues facing the Commonwealth, we will help Virginians better understand all available options and create a forum for discussion, questions and change.
Founder: Karen Schaufeld
Karen G. Schaufeld is a philanthropist, author, entrepreneur, and lawyer. As CEO of SWaN Hill Top, she is working to develop a reimagined Hill Top House Hotel in historic Harpers Ferry, WV. She is the founder and President of 100WomenStrong, a granting organization that strategically invests in nonprofits and programs that enrich the lives of Loudoun County, Virginia, residents. Karen also co-founded All Ages Read Together (AART), a school readiness program for low-income preschool-aged children. In addition, she helped found NEW Customer Services Companies, Inc., the nation’s largest administrator of consumer product warranties, now part of NEW Asurion, Inc., where she served as General Counsel.
She is currently CEO and Co-Founder of Altor Locks which has created innovative bike locks and trailer hitch locks. She is an advocate for the growth of renewable energy in Virginia and a more secure and stable grid through distributed energy. To spread awareness about Virginia energy policy she founded PoweredbyFacts.com and is actively involved in the passage of renewable energy bills. She most recently collaborated to strategize with and support WinVA to elect delegates responsive to their constituents and further supported these efforts by forming VaOurWay to educate voters to spur their action and attention during the Virginia legislative session.
Along with serving as a Trustee for the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation she currently serves on the boards of Middleburg Film Festival and is a member of the National Council on White House History. Previously, she served as Trustee for Lehigh University and was a board member of Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Venture Philanthropy Partners, Journey Through Hallowed Ground, and OneVoice Movement. She published her first children’s book, The Lollipop Tree, in 2014 and her second children’s book, Larry and Bob, in 2016. Her third book, How to Eat a Peach, was released in April 2019. Karen’s fourth book, Vultures, A Love Story, was released in Spring of 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Government from Lehigh University and a J.D. from George Washington University.
Our Successes
One of the major barriers to the renewable energy industry has long been outdated policy and legislation. Knowing the importance of reasonable regulations to the success of the renewable energy industry Powered by Facts has dedicated many of its resources to legislative advocacy.
At the beginning of 2017, Powered by Facts joined the Rubin Group, a consensus-building cohort working together on energy policies for the Commonwealth. Rubin Group participants include representatives from energy companies, solar advocacy organizations, utility firms, energy education groups and others who meet regularly to debate energy policies and work to advance Virginia legislation to include more renewable energy. Powered by Facts continues to collaborate with the Rubin Group and participate in on-the-ground advocacy to advance smart energy policies for Virginia.
We could not have made such great strides in Virginia without you! Thank you for making calls, sending emails, advocating, and staying engaged!
2020:
HB 1526 & SB 710: (The Clean Economy Act) The main goal of this bill is to have a zero-carbon electricity supply by 2050. This bill requires a modest increase in renewable energy of 3% per year and 2% per year for energy efficiency measures. It calls for joining RGGI and using the proceeds for energy efficiency investments and coastal resiliency.
SB 754: Creates an on-bill tariff program that allows consumers to finance energy efficiency upgrades through their energy bill, rather than seeking more expensive and complicated third-party financing. Investing in energy efficiency lowers energy cost to consumers and helps to bring down demand.
HB 1133: Creates an incentive to build solar projects on previously developed project sites (brownfields) by declaring such projects to be “in the public interest.” Solar projects need space, but generally do not need any particular type of land. Brownfields make great options because it is land that is unfit for most other activities. It repurposes the brownfield and prevents solar projects from taking space away land that could have other uses.
HB 572: Removes the cap on the total amount of renewable energy that can be net metered in a utility’s territory, authorizes power purchase agreements for all types of customers, permits solar up to 5 megawatts to be built on government-owned properties, and allows the installation of renewable energy generation in multi-family housing structures, among other legislative fixes.
HB 167: Creates stricter parameters for a utility seeking the recovery of fuel costs. Without strict regulations on what costs a utility can recover, it will often try to pass as many costs onto its customers as possible. This legislation ensures that the utility recover costs only in specific circumstances.
HB 575: Institutes a stakeholder process for the implementation of energy efficiency programs recommended by the General Assembly to electric utilities. Energy efficiency is crucial to lowering energy demand and reducing energy costs. Virginia’s utilities have been instructed to invest in these programs, and the stakeholder process will ensure the investments are well-placed.
HB 573: Creates a pilot program for community solar in low-income areas. Community solar projects serve more than one property. Low-income communities can especially benefit from these types of projects because they pool resources and make it easier for one larger solar installation to power multiples homes in more densely populated areas.
2019:
HB 2293 & SB 1605: Create a stakeholder process to provide important input on the development of utility energy efficiency programs. This bill was fleshed out in the 2020 General Assembly session and will continue through the next few years.
HB 2792 and SB 1779 Create a 6-year pilot program for municipal net metering for localities that are customers of utilities. This allows municipalities and localities to build solar projects for the benefit of the municipality/locality while taking advantage of important net-metering benefits.
HB2621 & SB1091: Allows localities to require a decommission plan as a condition for approving a solar site plan. A fear among opponents to solar projects is that they will continue to take up space after their usefulness has ended. Decommissioning plans ensure that the projects are properly wrapped up and the machinery is recycled or disposed of.
HB 2547 & SB 1769: Makes changes to the net-metering program for customers of electric cooperatives, including raising the net-metering cap to 7% of system peak and permitting customers to install enough renewable energy to meet up to 125% of previous year’s demand. Limits on net-metering have largely been political decisions with the backing of cooperatives and utilities. This bill lifts some important restrictions which arbitrarily prevented some customers from participating.
HB 2192 & SB 1331: Creates school modernization initiatives that encourage energy efficient building standards and net zero design. Virginia’s public schools are largely is disarray. These bills serve two purposes: first to ensure that schools receive much-needed updates, and second to implement energy efficiency practices in the construction. School buildings consume a great deal of energy and will see significant long-term cost savings with an energy efficient design.
SB 1496: Creates a grant program for the purchase and installation of solar energy equipment in certain nonresidential areas. This legislation paved the way for the success of the brownfield legislation in 2020.
2018:
HB508 & SB429: Remove confusion and create clear regulations for ground and rooftop solar, making it easier for consumers to install. Complex zoning requirements often led to the arbitrary denial of permitting for solar installations. These clarifications were important in ensuring a fair consideration process.
HB 509 & SB 179: Clarify the Comprehensive plan approval process for solar facilities. A Comprehensive Plan sets out a locality’s land use planning policies. These bills make it substantially easier for solar projects to be deemed compliant with a locality’s Comprehensive Plan and removes some discretion for arbitrary rejection.
2017:
HB 2303 & SB 1394: Allow farmers to “harvest” the sun and generate a more reliable stream of income for farms. Small farms are economically vulnerable and especially susceptible to seasonality and extreme weather events. Land that may not be agriculturally productive can greatly benefit from selling solar energy back to the grid.
2016:
HB 444 & SB 745: Require notification to customers every quarter where electricity is coming from and any available alternatives. Many customers are not aware of other retail energy providers in Virginia. This legislation promotes transparency in the energy industry.