St. Mark Lutheran Church and Preschool of Charlottesville, VA, are pleased to announce that starting in September, they will switch their primary power supply from grid-based gas and coal-power to renewable energy provided by a 63.7 kW solar array. Once completed, it will be the largest non-profit owned-and-operated solar system in Charlottesville and among the largest in the State of Virginia. St. Mark will hold a public blessing of its newly-installed solar array on Sunday, September 12th at approximately 11:00 a.m. The 63.7 kW solar array will offset 80% of St. Mark’s annual electricity needs and will abate over 2,600,000 lbs. of CO2 emissions over 25 years. The net cost savings to St. Mark over the same period is estimated to be $116,700.
The solar system was designed and installed by SunDay Solar, a local company that has been operating in Charlottesville since 2010. With a total system cost of just over $140,000, the project was financed in partnership with UVA Community Credit Union and was further supported by a grant of $55,000 from the Virginia Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP). As non-profits like St. Mark are unable to capture Federal incentives like the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), this generous grant support was critical to helping St. Mark decarbonize. Chris Meyer, Executive Director of Virginia’s LEAP, notes that St. Mark’s project is “the largest solar system for a non-profit the City of Charlottesville’s Commercial Clean Energy Loan Program has supported to date.” Apex Clean Energy also announced a donation of $2,500 towards the system through its newly created community solar non-profit grant program. The system has a planned life of 25 years but is likely to operate for 30-40 years once installed. To further ensure sustainability, the project already has an end-of-life panel recycling program in place when the system needs to be decommissioned.
“It is our Christian responsibility to do everything we can to protect God’s creation. We see this project as a ministry to love our neighbors and community,” says Rev. Viktoria Parvin, the pastor of St. Mark.
“As Christians, we believe that God creates, God loves creation, and God calls us as stewards! In response to this call to care for creation, we are so excited to partner with an entire team of local lenders, installers, businesses, and city officials to make our shared home more sustainable for future generations,” adds Chad Crowley, a member of St. Mark’s Mission Council and its Social Ministry Committee which proposed the idea.
Since 2010, SunDay Solar and Entero Energy have installed over 1.2 MW of residential and commercial solar systems – the equivalent of around 4,000 panels. As with all installs, SunDay Solar provides a 10-year guarantee on workmanship and materials. “As Charlottesville’s local Clean Energy Partner, SunDay Solar is excited to play a part in the adoption of renewable energy at St. Mark Lutheran Church, and we look forward to seeing the solar system’s positive impact on the community for the next 25+ years,” says Richard Crisler of SunDay Solar.
