Fairfax County is leading solar panel installations and signups from a solar program backed by Virginia’s governor as homeowners look for ways to address rising electricity costs.
Switch Together, a bulk purchasing initiative to connect residents to solar installers, was recently expanded from Northern Virginia to other parts of the state. It was previously only open in Fairfax and Arlington counties, with Alexandria joining the roster last summer.
Land in Lorton that once served as a waste disposal site has been transformed into Fairfax County’s largest solar power project so far.
After about a year of construction, a completed 5-megawatt solar array now sits on 37 acres in a closed portion of the I-95 Landfill Complex at 9850 Furnace Road, the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) announced Wednesday (May 19).
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD) has confirmed that a recent house fire in Reston was sparked by an electrical issue related to its rooftop solar panels.
Firefighters were dispatched to the 2300 block of Colts Brook Drive around 6 p.m. on Sunday (Aug. 3) for the blaze, which could be seen around the solar panels when they arrived, the FCFRD said yesterday (Monday) in a blog post.
