by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Installation began last week on the largest rooftop solar array in Virginia—which happens to be at North Stafford High School.
Sun Tribe Solar and Madison Energy Infrastructure are partnering with Stafford County Public Schools on the project, according to a press release from the school division.
Students also had a chance to learn about the array and build their own solar circuits in class last week.
“Our mission is to inspire and empower our students so that they are prepared to excel, and this project certainly sets them up to be global changemakers,” division Superintendent Thomas Taylor said in the press release. “I am delighted that the installation has aligned perfectly with Career and Technical Education Month, allowing us to showcase diverse, in-demand careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as clean energy.”
The School Board approved the solar power purchase agreement with Sun Tribe Solar in 2022.
There is no upfront cost to the division for the installation of the array, Joshua Schimpf, the school division’s Energy Management and Regulatory Compliance Coordinator told the Advance.
“The only cost to the division is a monthly utility bill for the power produced by the solar array. The rate we pay for solar power is substantially cheaper than the current utility rate, which is how we achieve our monthly/annual savings,” Schimpf said.
The array is projected to save $2.8 million over the next 25 years and offset 8,000 tons of CO2, equivalent to taking over 42,000 cars off the road.
“The power produced from the array will be mainly consumed by North Stafford High School,” Schimpf said. “However, during times of excess production in which the system is producing more electricity than the school is using, it will be diverted back on to the grid and distributed to surrounding areas. Stafford Schools will get utility credits based on the amount of electricity that is sent back on the grid.”
Construction is set to be completed this summer and there will be a ribbon cutting for the array later this year, the school division said.
