Dominion Virginia Power Selects Capital One for First Ground-Mounted Solar Panel Installation in Central Virginia

RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Virginia Power announced today that it has selected Capital One's Chester facility to house the first ground-mounted solar energy system in Central Virginia. The installation of nearly 2,500 solar panels will generate about 500 kilowatts of electricity at peak, enough to power about 125 homes.

"We are pleased to partner with Capital One in expanding solar energy in the Commonwealth," said Ken Barker, vice president of Technical Solutions. "Dominion's solar energy programs are even more viable when companies like Capital One demonstrate their full support for our renewable energy initiatives."

"At Capital One, we understand that our success is invariably linked to the well-being of the communities we serve," said Bobby Magnano, senior vice president of Enterprise Services. "We support the meaningful work Dominion is doing to expand the use of community-based solar energy throughout Virginia, and we are proud to serve as their partner in this effort. Environmental sustainability is and will continue to be an important aspect of our operations at Capital One."

Gov. Terry McAuliffe lends his support by saying, "My goal as governor is to build a new Virginia economy and invest in areas that will keep Virginia competitive in the 21^st Century. That is why I support a comprehensive approach to meeting our state's energy needs, which includes investments in solar energy and other alternative energy sources. When Virginia-based companies lead the way in clean energy, our economy and our communities benefit." 

In addition to Capital One's efforts in solar energy, its Chester facility also obtained a Gold LEED-certification. The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® green building program is the preeminent program for the design, construction, maintenance and operations of high-performance green buildings. (Learn more at usgbc.org/LEED)

The project is part of Dominion Virginia Power's Solar Partnership Program in which Dominion leases rooftop or ground space at commercial, industrial or public facilities for the installation of solar panels. The program is designed to expand Dominion's understanding of community-based solar energy by studying its impact and assessing its benefits while supporting and encouraging solar energy growth in Virginia. The energy generated by the solar panels is delivered to the power grid. 

Through the Solar Partnership Program, Dominion is authorized to construct and operate up to 30 megawatts of company-owned solar facilities on leased rooftops or on the grounds of commercial businesses and public properties throughout the company's Virginia service area. When fully implemented, the program will be able to generate enough power for up to 7,500 homes. Dominion has already completed rooftop solar installations at the Canon Industrial Resource Technologies facility in Gloucester and at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.

Dominion also has 14 merchant solar-generation projects either in service or under construction, totaling 232 megawatts. The solar sites are located in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana and Tennessee.

PowerSecure, a North Carolina-based company with offices in Virginia, has been selected as the engineering, procurement and construction company.

About Dominion
Dominion (NYSE: D) is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 23,600 megawatts of generation, 10,900 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,400 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves utility and retail energy customers in 10 states. For more information about Dominion, visit www.dom.com.

About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $205.9 billion in deposits and $298.3 billion in total assets as of June 30, 2014. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 900 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

SOURCE Dominion Virginia Power