Stafford County Public Schools
Madison Energy Infrastructure (MEI) and Stafford County Public Schools, in partnership with Clean Energy for America, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, September 12th, to unveil Virginia's largest school solar array, located on North Stafford High School’s rooftop.
The ceremony included remarks from the Chief Economist for the Investing in America Cabinet at the White House, Dr. Heather Boushey, Virginia State Senators Tara Durant and Jeremy McPike, Stafford County Board of Supervisors member Dr. Pamela Yeung, and Stafford School Board Chair Maureen Siegmund.
This 1.8 megawatt project, consisting of 3,300 solar panels, will save the school system an estimated $2.8 million in electric bills over the next 25 years due to the size and efficiency of the on-site generation from the solar rooftop array. The rooftop will also generate 54 million kilowatt hours of clean energy and offset 41,583 tons of CO2.
Installation of this project began in February of this year, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony officially marks the completion of the project. In addition to savings for the school system, this project will provide students with continuous learning opportunities. Students will engage with MEI's Solar Empowered Schools curriculum, which integrates real-time data from the solar panels into energy and science lessons, providing invaluable insights into renewable energy and environmental stewardship. Students have already begun participation in MEI’s interactive learning opportunities, including solar-empowered school modules and VR educational tours of the rooftop.
