Virginia’s largest solar array on a school rooftop just came online
A 1.8-megawatt (MW) school rooftop solar array, the largest in Virginia, is now online – and the US needs to do a whole lot more of this.
School rooftop solar in Virginia
Stafford County Public Schools partnered with New York-based Madison Energy Infrastructure (MEI) to install the rooftop solar array at North Stafford High School. It’s made up of 3,300 solar panels, and it’s going to save the school system an estimated $2.8 million in electric bills over the next 25 years. The rooftop will also generate 54 million kilowatt hours of clean energy and offset 41,583 tons of CO2.
Installation of this project in Stafford County, 40 miles south of Washington, D.C., began in February of this year, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony was yesterday.
Students will learn about solar using MEI’s Solar Empowered Schools curriculum, which integrates real-time data from the solar panels into energy and science lessons. Students have already started using MEI’s solar-empowered school modules and VR educational tours of the rooftop.
“This rooftop solar array represents a significant milestone for our school division,” said Maureen Siegmund, Stafford school board chair. “We are proud to be a part of this energy and cost savings project while also providing our students with real-world educational opportunities to engage in this field at North Stafford High School.”
According to a Generation180 study about solar power on US K-12 schools released last month, Virginia ranks No 9 among states for cumulative capacity of rooftop solar on schools. It has 180 arrays with a total solar capacity of 55,423 kW. The study found that 1 in 9 US students now attend a solar-powered school and that more than 800 K-12 schools added new solar arrays in 2022-2023.
Electrek’s Take
Like warehouses and box stores, solar on sprawling, flat school roofs is an absolute no-brainer. It saves a ton of money for schools, which are always on tight budgets and reduces emissions overall.
The Generation180 study says that 80% of cumulative solar capacity installed at K-12 schools is primarily funded by third-party ownership models such as power purchase agreements and leases (the other 20% is direct ownership).
The study states, “Effective third-party ownership agreements remove the barrier of upfront capital costs, stabilize long-term electricity prices, and generate immediate energy bill saving.”
There is no reason that school rooftop solar shouldn’t be rolled out as quickly as possible in all states, because everyone wins.
Read more: Rooftop solar is installed on West Virginia public schools – why that’s a big deal
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Environment
U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.
Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.
Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.
Oil futures, 5 years
The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.
Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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