LOUISVILLE — Tapping into a higher power, Limestone Church in Wilmington, Del., is installing a solar-electric generating system, which will make the congregation the state’s first church to draw its electricity from the sun.
Using 180 roof-mounted solar panels, most of which are already in place, the 36-kilowatt system is expected to provide at least two-thirds of the Delaware church’s electricity. When the church produces more power than it needs, the excess will be fed automatically into the commercial power grid.
The $250,000 solar array is scheduled to go on line by July 19. The public is invited to join the congregation to celebrate the completion of the project in a special service on Sunday, July 20.
Limestone Church leaders say the 675-member congregation is reducing its “carbon footprint” by cutting the greenhouse gasses that cause global warming while witnessing to its conviction that the Bible calls Christians to be good stewards of God’s creation.
“It is in all of our best interest,” said Bruce Gillette, who along with his wife, Carolyn Gillette, is co-pastor of Limestone Church. “The two great commandments are to love God and to love our neighbor. We love God by caring for his creation and the people he’s created, our neighbors.”
The church made a careful analysis of the merits of a solar-electric system, spending a year discussing the idea and consulting with roofing contractors and renewable energy experts. The session’s final vote in May authorizing the project — along with $30,000 to replace the sanctuary’s 22-year-old roof — was unanimous.
Limestone Church is the first “solar church” in Delaware, according to Scott Lynch, energy program planner for the Delaware Green Energy Program, which provides cash incentives for the installation of renewable energy systems. It is the first church to receive money under the program for a solar program.
It was not immediately known how many Presbyterian churches nationwide, if any, have installed solar panels.
The push for a greener approach is nothing new for Limestone Church, where members have taken on a variety of environmental friendly initiatives in recent years.
“Over the years we’ve been caring for creation in a lot of ways,” Carolyn Gillette said. “Building this [solar array] is just a very visible and exciting way we can do that.”
An in-depth energy audit of the church building was conducted in November 2004 by the Interfaith Coalition on Energy, the national authority of energy conservation for churches. Limestone Church then converted its sanctuary fixtures to more energy-efficient lighting.
The congregation’s commitment to energy conservation also extends to its mission work. Last month a mission group to Honduras distributed solar-powered flashlights to dozens of families residing in a rural village. In June 2006, Limestone members planted hundreds of trees during a mission trip to Kenya.
The church will offer a five-day Vacation Bible School program starting July 21for children ages 3 to 10 that will feature an emphasis on caring for God’s creation.
Half the solar project’s $251,790 price tag ($125,895) is being covered by the already approved Delaware Green Energy rebate. The remaining money will either come from a loan from the Presbytery of New Castle or the Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program, which is dedicated to providing low-cost loans to congregations that are constructing, expanding, or reshaping their buildings using funds invested in the program by Presbyterians.
In addition to ease of installation and maintenance, the panels promise a solid financial return. According to Bruce Gillette, the congregation can currently expect to save about $6,500 a year in electricity bills.
Congregation leaders said that savings combined with funds from “Renewable Energy Credits” the church will receive for producing non-polluting electricity, will pay off any loan in about 10 years. The hope is that the use of solar energy will help shield the church from soaring energy costs.
The Gillettes, who last December installed solar panels on the roof of their own home said the congregation’s solar panels have stirred community interest, attracting new members to the church and spurring visits from business professionals and homeowners curious about adding their own solar panels. A local Boy Scout troop contributed $1,000 that it raised from two car washes to the effort.
The solar project has sparked enthusiasm among many current members of the suburban Wilmington church as well, the Gillettes said.
“Some of the people who are very excited about it are young families,” Carolyn Gillette said. “I think they’re aware of the environmental issue. People with young kids are thinking about their children’s future and making the world a better place.”
Gary Bell, a longtime Limestone church member, retired school administrator and grandfather, said he was pleased the congregation is taking steps in caring for the environment.
“This is demonstrating what we believe rather than just talking about what we believe relative to stewardship of the earth,” Bell said. “This project is a demonstration that we have some concern about the earth and care for the earth and plan to do something about it.”
For both theological and practical reasons, the Gillettes said they would like to see more homes, churches, and businesses get greener. This is especially important as political leaders continue dragging their heels on a plan for reducing pollutants that contribute to climate change.
“The church can model for society what we need to be doing, and in the solar project’s case, it doesn’t really cost us anything in the long run,” Bruce Gillette said. “We’re called to make a difference in the world and this is a visible way we can do it.”
He said the move to add solar panels is consistent with policy statements adopted by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s General Assembly.
In 1990, the Assembly declared “its serious concern” about climate change. In a study paper called Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice, it warned that “the global atmospheric warming trend (the greenhouse effect) represents one of the most serious global environmental challenges to the health, security, and stability of human life and natural ecosystems...”
Just last month the PC(USA)’s 218th General Assembly, meeting in San Jose, Calif., approved a new study, The Power to Change: U.S. Energy Policy and Global Warming that outlines a path toward sustainability and equity for protecting future generations.
Bruce Gillette also noted that the PC(USA)’s Book of Order (W-7.5003) calls Presbyterians to be good stewards of the environment. He said the GA-mandated measures and “all the scientific reports show that pollution is a problem now and it has the potential to be catastrophic for humanity in the future. We need to be doing things right now,” Bruce Gillette said.
For additional information about Limestone’s solar project, visit their Web site.
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
