Notes: Alexandria Times reveals schools are being raided with high costs for new solar panels

Good Monday morning, Alexandria!

⛈️ The weather today: Expect showers and possibly thunderstorms after 2pm, with mostly sunny skies and a high temperature around 18mph. A west wind 10-12mph and a 70% chance of precipitation is forecast, with less than 0.25mm of precipitation but possibly more with thunderstorms. Showers and possibly thunderstorms are expected Monday night before 8pm, a low temperature around 18mph and a northwest wind around 16mph. There is a 60% chance of precipitation, and precipitation amounts will be similar to those during the day.

You need to know

The Alexandria Times reported that Alexandria City Public Schools incurred unexpected additional construction costs of $1.4 million to build new solar panels at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School and the Minnie Howard Campus of Alexandria City High School.

The costs were caused by a new Dominion Energy rule requiring “direct transfer trips,” an expensive fiber-optic upgrade that allows automatic system disconnection. The Washington Post reported earlier this summer that the new rule had stalled other solar projects in Virginia, including solar installations at a school in Prince William County.

ACPS told the Alexandria Times that the additional upgrades cost $105,000 for Douglas MacArthur and $1.3 million for Minnie Howard. However, ACPS stated that the school district remains willing to install solar panels on future projects.

The most read articles of Sunday

Below you will find the most read ALXnow articles from August 18, 2024.

1. JUST IN: Body found near where man drowned at Four Mile Run Park (2496 views)

Upcoming events

Here’s what’s happening in Alexandria today, from our events calendar.