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University UCC in Seattle installs solar panels on its roof

Proposal showed how solar panels would help church save on power bills

Paul Schafer completed a class in solar technology in 2010 at Shoreline Community College about the same time the church he attends, University Congregational UCC in Seattle, hosted the “Nickelsville” homeless encampment in their parking lot.

Solar panels on the church's roof.

Someone in the UCUCC Sacred Earth Matters group suggested that the church provide the encampment with electricity.  They also suggested powering it with a solar array on the roof.

So Paul researched different sizes of solar arrays, different sources of components and the return over time.  Then he wrote a proposal that showed how solar energy would help the church save on electricity costs in an environmentally friendly way.

There were no funds, so the proposal sat.  Two years later, the church held a capital campaign and urged groups to submit proposals.  Paul submitted an item for the solar array.  He was by then also on the Facilities and Equipment Board.

In 2012, the church raised most of its goal and decided which of the projects it would begin over three years.  The solar project was chosen for the first year, so Paul contacted three solar contractors to have them submit bids and designs.

Because the church’s roof is flat, It was possible to install solar modules by setting them on the roof in a stable racking system.

“From the time we first talked about it until last fall, the price of solar modules dropped dramatically, so we ended up with a larger array for the same cost,” Paul said.

In January 2014, they began the permit process related to the roof’s structure and changes to the church’s electrical system.  The components were in place by May and went live on June 15.  Lines were connected into the building and a production meter was installed.

“As we produce electricity, our regular electric meter will slow or even turn backwards, decreasing our bill.  After the  utility reads production meter once a year, it sends a cash for the kilowatt hours we generated in that year,” said Paul, explaining that a state law enabling this incentive expires in 2020.

“Our system goes live just as we get the sun’s best rays in the summer,” Paul said.  “The array is 24.5 kilowatts.  Arrays for most private residences have two to four kilowatts.

“Although the solar is ready, it will take more construction to provide electricity to the parking lot, so that will happen later,” he said.

“It will take a number of years to recoup our investment, but we will use less hydroelectric energy and we will contribute energy to the electric grid,” Paul said.

Since 1992, Paul has been a technical writer for a software company.  He graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1980 and completed a master’s degree in 1985.

He attended Beacon Ave. UCC when he first moved to Seattle in 1989.

For information, email paul.schafer@gmail.com.

 

Copyright Pacific Northwest Conference United Church News © Summer 2014

 

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