Somewhat buried in our paper last week was an account of the Gloucester Planning Commission meeting. The planners have endorsed a zoning change that would allow solar energy facilities to locate here.

That news is great. Even greater is the apparent cause behind this amendment: a lawyer told the commission that “he attended on behalf of a client who is interested in building a solar energy facility in Gloucester.”

This is terrific news.

Cheap oil, for the moment, is great in itself and allows consumers to save money for other needs while getting around to their work and shopping, and heating their homes, reasonably.

But … there’s no guarantee oil will stay cheap, and at any rate, burning it produces carbon dioxide which heats up the atmosphere (yes, we are believers in global warming). Solar energy is clean. Why not push its use?

Solar farms are a growing business across Virginia, and we are so pleased that one may break ground in Gloucester County. The ne...