Fairfax County (Va.) board approves rooftop solar panels for high school in Annandale

The installation at Annandale High School will serve as a pilot program as the district looks to add panels at other campuses.

Nov. 7, 2022

The Fairfax County (Va.) school board has approved the installation of rooftop solar panels at Annandale High School in Annandale, Va.

FFX Now reports that the approval comes more than a year after the school board agreed to advance a solar program in May 2021 and almost three years after Fairfax County launched a solar initiative in December 2019.

Fairfax officials estimate that the solar panels will cut energy costs between $11,000 and $22,000 a year on average.

The district also is looking to add solar panels at Chantilly High School, Thoreau Middle School, Hayfield and Robinson secondary schools, and Terreset and Mason Crest elementary schools before the end of this year.

The Fairfax County district has 10 schools with solar panels, but those serve more as educational tools than power sources. Coupled with the district's plans to add electric school buses, the Annandale project represents a notable step in the school system’s efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and adopt renewable energy.