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Typically, when Washington, DC, and solar energy are mentioned in the same sentence, it's because public policy is being debated. This time, however, it's the actual District of Columbia, and not its high-powered residents, that is doing the talking. 

By 2015, the District will be installing 1 megawatt of solar panels on 49 rooftops throughout the area. Of this group, 39 of them will reportedly be school buildings. The job will be broken up into three tranches which are currently soliciting bids from solar companies to both install and maintain the projects. If all goes according to plan, the solar panels will provide up to 14% of the buildings' energy needs. 

There is no word about which companies are up for consideration yet, but we will certainly be following these developments given that our Alexandria, Virginia-based headquarters overlooks the nation's capital. For more on this story, check out the short clip below.

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This segment is from Tuesday's edition of "Digging for Value," in which sector analysts Joel South and Taylor Muckerman discuss energy and materials news with host Alison Southwick. The twice-weekly show can be viewed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It can also be found on Twitter, along with our extended coverage of the energy & materials sectors @TMFEnergy.