by Jane Laping for the Presbytery of WNC
God gave us a great ball of fire in the sky that we call the sun. The sun gives us light and warmth during the day. It requires no burning of ancient deposits, produces no greenhouse gases or unhealthy pollutants. It doesn’t need to be turned on or off.
The sun, and its light and heat energy, is God’s gift to us. Modern technology has found a way to capture that energy in solar panels. Even newer technology has found a way to store that energy in batteries for use when the sun is not shining.
Three churches in our Presbytery that have successfully installed solar panels shared their stories on an April 28 ZOOM webinar hosted by the Presbytery Earth Care Team. Jean Franklin spoke about Black Mountain Presbyterian and their solar panels which were installed in 2016. Their visibility on Montreat Road makes a theological statement as people drive to Montreat. Morris Sample followed with a video about the solar installation at Unity Presbyterian in Denver, NC. Their installation was funded through a low-interest PC(USA) Restoring Creation Loan. Enrique Sanchez talked about Trinity Presbyterian in Hendersonville and how they were able to complete the 129-panel project in a year, completely funded by the congregation.
Other churches in our Presbytery that have solar panels are Brevard-Davidson River and Grace Covenant in Asheville. If your church has solar panels and is not named in this article, please let the Earth Care Team know at wncearthcareteam@gmail.com.
Resources from the webinar that may be useful as you start your church’s solar power journey are listed below.
Link to recording of the Solar Power ZOOM call (passcode is C*i2mz#C): Click HERE
Unity Presbyterian Solar video: See Video
Trinity’s detailed guide to achieving solar power, Trinity’s Solar Journey:Trinity's Guide
Restoring Creation Loan from PC(USA). Low-cost for energy improvements: PILP Restoring Creation Loan
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