Saint Thomas of Canterbury to Rely Solely on Solar Energy

Members of will soon be attending services under the power of solar-generated electricity.

The installation of solar panel used to generate green energy began Wednesday, March 30, and could be completed within days depending on weather conditions.

“We’re going to be totally self-sufficient as far as generating electricity,” said Diane Stobodzan, a full-time member of the vestry. “We’re just so dependent on foreign oils that anything that we can do to negate that is a plus, and we’re a very, very forward thinking church.”

According to Gordian Raacke, Executive Director of Renewable Energy Long Island, a non-profit organization that promotes the use of green energy, there are seven other faith-based organizations in their database that use green energy.

Stobodzan stated being entirely self-sufficient with energy, being environmentally friendly and saving the church money as reasons for installing the solar panels and using green energy.

Gary Minnick, President of Go Solar, Inc., the company installing the solar panels, said that the system “will generate $2,800 a year in electricity based on the current electric rate.”

Minnick said aside from saving money the system could present the church with an opportunity to sell excess generated electricity.

“As we clean up the environment some of these companies that are polluting companies just by nature they could buy power generators from groups of houses, churches, people called aggregators, that bundle all of this energy,” he said.

Raacke said Renewable Energy Long Island is excited to see another institution added to the list of faith-based organizations to use green energy.

“I think it’s great because if an individual puts solar panels on their home that’s a wonderful thing, but if it’s installed in a community institution that people go to and people gather at that’s so much more effective because so many more people will learn about it and understand the process of it,” he said. “It shows this faith-based institution is doing the right thing and leading by example and may prompt petitioners to do the same thing.”

Stobodzan also said the church is installing an elevator to provide handicapped access to the church hall, which will also be powered by electricity generated by the solar panels.