LCUC SOLAR PROJECT BACKGROUND
LITTLE CURRENT UNITED CHURCH SOLAR PROJECT BACKGROUND
The year was 2010 and was the 85th anniversary of The United Church of Canada. Our minister at the time was Rev. Faye Stevens and she wrote a letter to all members and friends of the LC United Church Pastoral Charge of which I’ll quote a section.
“It is a time for reflection on the progressive roots of our church, and also on what the church will look like in the future.
You may hear and get caught up in sentiments that the church as an institution is dying/folding etc. And while we believe our worship is joyful and meaningful, we know that in order to continue to minister in relevant ways to the community, we need to be a vital part of it, perhaps in new ways
To that end we are engaging in explorations and conversations around such ideas as senior housing, partnering with other non-profit groups and generally keeping our eyes, ears, and hearts open to ways that we can address local needs and be a spirited, spiritual presence in community”
We had been and were holding Visioning Sessions in the Fellowship Hall. The Seniors Housing project was investigated and deemed to be beyond what we could do, so we moved on from there.
The church continued to advocate for seniors’ housing and encouraged other churches to get on board – but the Council then shifted its focus to other ways in which the church could maintain sustainability and have a lasting, long-term impact in the community.
This was just about the time that the green energy action was happening with the provincial government, so early in June 2010 we started looking into the possibilities. We have a large south-facing roof, so the situation was pretty positive for a solar panel installation.
The venture didn’t come cheaply, however. We applied for two loans from The United Church of Canada. The first was a matching Church Modernization and Improvement Grant of $5,000.00. The second was a Capital Assistance Loan. The LCUC Women matched one loan with a $5,000.00 donation. We borrowed $68,800.00 against the second loan with a payback term of ten years. Council’s plan was to repay this loan in seven years to save interest costs. We actually paid this loan off in 29 months. Total cost of the project was over $91,000.00. In addition, we kicked off a Fundraising campaign in December 2010 soliciting donations which would go directly to the solar power project. In less than three months we raised $21,000.00 with donations from non-church members, seasonal attendees from the United States and elsewhere as well as our own congregations’ members.
The project involved installing 48 X 250-watt solar panels on the hall roof. A local contractor from Manitoulin Island supplied the materials and did the installation. We have a 20-year contract with Ontario Hydro to purchase the power produced at a rate of 80.20 cents per kilowatt hour. Revenue projections were from $9,000.00 to $12,000.00 per year. We began supplying electrical power into the provincial grid on June 17, 2011.
“Let The Sun Shine.”
