VACo County Pulse Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Energy Landscape of Virginia | Episode 21 | Managing Virginia’s Forest with Biomass Energy Production Sep 19, 2025

Show notes

Joe Lerch and James Hutzler visit Rob Farrell, State Forester and Director of the Virginia Department of Forestry, to learn how management of Virginia’s oak and hickory forests can be combined with biomass energy production. We also take a tour of a forested plot to learn in depth how effective trees species management can produce a renewable source of energy.

Where to find out more about topics covered in this episode

Report of the Biomass Advisory Panel – December 30, 2024 (Virginia Department of Forestry)
Hardwood Initiative: Virginia Department of Forestry
White Oak Initiative - Ensuring Regeneration of White Oak
Pictures of Tree Species

Uplifting Our Children Through Education | Episode 2 | Gloucester County and School Construction; When A Community Comes Together Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Uplifting Our Children Through Education series, Host Jeremy Bennett sits down with County Administrator Carol Steele and Deputy County Administrator Maria Calloway of Gloucester County to discuss the county’s school construction journey—from the local sales-tax referendum to planning, community engagement, and delivering modern learning spaces. Hear how Gloucester aligned vision, funding, and partnerships to support student success and long-term community growth.

Energy Landscape of Virginia | Episode 20 | The Convergence of Farming with Solar: What is Agrivoltaics? Aug 22, 2025

Show notes

Energy Landscape of Virginia Episode 20 | The Convergence of Farming with Solar: What is Agrivoltaics?

Joe Lerch talks with Rachel Henley, Working Lands and State Advocacy Specialist with the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation to explore how farms and solar installations can coexist and what the term “Agrivoltaics” means within this context.

Where to find out more about topics covered in this episode

4 The Soil - initiative of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and Virginia Cooperative Extension to raise awareness of soil as a critical natural resource.
Virginia Tech study sheds light on solar farm impacts to property values | Virginia Tech News | Virginia Tech
Impact of large-scale solar on property values in the United States: Diverse effects and causal mechanisms
Utility-Scale Solar in Virginia - Virginia Cooperative Extension Webinars
Solar Farms – Managing Soil & Water Impacts – Soil and Landscape Rehabilitation
"RE-EVALUATING THE LAND USE IMPACTS OF UTILITY-SCALE SOLAR ENERGY DEVEL" by Damian Pitt, Aaron R. Berryhill et al.

Energy Landscape of Virginia | Episode 19 | Balancing Demand and Supply in the Regional Electric Grid– discussion with PJM Interconnection Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

Episode 19 – Balancing Demand and Supply in the Regional Electric Grid – Discussion with PJM Interconnection. Joe Lerch talks with Jason Stanek, Executive Director of State Government Policy with PJM Interconnection the Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) for 13 states and the District Columbia in which Virginia’s electric utilities are members. They discuss the role PJM plays in generation and transmission of electricity and how policies and decisions at the state and local level have impacts on reliability and pricing in the bulk energy market.

Where to find out more about topics covered in this episode

PJM Website - Homepage
Effective Load Carrying Capability (ELCC) Class Ratings by generation type - 2026/2027 Base Residual Auction
Asim Haque (PJM) Presentation to the Commission on Electric Utility Commission (CEUR) - May 22, 2025 (presentation starts at 1:25:31)
Asim Haque Slide Presentation
VACo 2025 Department of Energy Webinar - Demand Response Opportunities for Counties
Virginia narrowly avoided power cuts when 60 data centers dropped off the grid at once - DCD
Jason Stanek, Executive Director State Government Policy - PJM, jason.stanek@pjm.com

Energy Landscape of Virginia | Episode 18 | Bonus Housing Episode with MACo Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

State and Local Housing Policy – Comparison of Maryland and Virginia with MACo Conduit Street Podcast.

Joe Lerch talks with Dominic Butchko, Director of Intergovernmental Relations with the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) to discuss housing policy and legislation with our neighbors to the North. Listeners to episode 17 of our Energy Landscape of Virginia series will recognize this as part 2 of our foray into comparing how the Virginia and Maryland legislatures tackle prominent issues involving county land use, and the role that local governments play in addressing energy and housing needs.

Where to find out more about topics covered in this episode

Energy Landscape of Virginia | Episode 17 | State Energy Policy – Comparison of Maryland and Virginia with MACo Conduit Street Podcast Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

Joe Lerch talks with Dominic Butchko, Director of Intergovernmental Relations with the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) to compare both the differences and similarities between Maryland and Virginia when it comes to energy and its intersection with county land use and local authority. With a focus on state legislative policy and action, we delve into issues of utility-scale generation, energy storage, transmission, and the growing demand for electricity from the data center industry.

Where to find out more about topics covered in this episode

Uplifting Our Children Through Education | Episode 1 May 22, 2025

Show notes

Energy Landscape of Virginia | Episode 16 | Nuclear Power, Small Modular Reactors, and Fusion Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

Energy Landscape of Virginia Episode 11 | Nuclear Power, Small Modular Reactors, and Fusion

In 2023 nuclear power produced approximately one-third of all power from Virginia sources while representing only 12 percent of all generation capacity in the Commonwealth. Dominion Energy operates Virginia’s four nuclear units in plants located in Louisa and Surry counties, each with a capacity of more than 900 megawatts in generation. Each unit operates continuously at capacity, only coming off-line temporarily to refuel approximately every 18 months. In this episode, we sat down with Erich Fritz, manager of business development, and Marc Hofmann, manager of nuclear emergency preparedness and licensing with Dominion to learn more about their existing nuclear fleet, their plans for developing small modular reactors, as well as their partnership with Commonwealth Fusion Systems to assist in building Virginia’s first commercially operating nuclear fusion reactor.

Where to find out more about topics covered in this episode:

Energy Landscape of Virginia | Episode 15 | Harvesting Excess Heat from Data Centers for Energy – District Energy Systems Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

Energy Landscape of Virginia Episode 10 | Harvesting Excess Heat from Data Centers for Energy – District Energy Systems

District Energy Systems are a proven engineering solution that conveys heat between suppliers and users, between or among buildings. Excess heat generated by the multitude of data centers located Virginia provides an opportunity to supply heat to adjoining uses, thereby reducing overall energy consumption within what is known as a District Energy System. Joe Lerch talks with Executive Director Bob Lazaro and Senior Regional Planner Dale Medearis with Northern Virginia Regional Commission, about their longstanding work on promoting the use of District Energy Systems as part of an overall energy savings and efficiency strategy for the region. We’ll learn how leaders in the data center industry are making this happen, and what local governments can do to facilitate the use of excess heat from their operations.

Where to find out more about topics covered in this episode

Energy Landscape of Virginia | Episode 14 | Solar by the Numbers – Facts and Figures Mar 19, 2025

Show notes

Joe Lerch talks with Aaron Berryhill, Solar Program Manager with Virginia Department of Energy on the latest numbers in Virginia for solar installations. We cover a wide range of sources that inform how much utility-scale, community-scale, and rooftop solar has been installed in the Commonwealth.

For information and assistance contact:

Aaron Berryhill
Solar Program Manager
Virginia Department of Energy
aaron.berryhill@energy.virginia.gov
Office: 804.486.2754 / Cell: 804.839.6978

Where to find out more about topics covered in this episode