Community UCC is a relatively small (about 120 active members) congregation located in Raleigh, NC, that has long had an active interest in environmental stewardship. We created our Justice in a Changing Climate initiative (JCC) in 2007, recognizing that climate change will affect those with the fewest resources more adversely and sooner than the rest of us.
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville
UUFH Celebrates Its Commitment to Renewable Energy The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville (UUFH) is celebrating the installation of a 40-panel solar array on its sanctuary roof. This installation is evidence of the congregation’s commitment to renewable energy and is the culmination of a two year program to become more environmentally friendly according to the Green Team coordinator Jan Partin. . After a year of planning, the UUFH Green Team took bids to install a system that would produce 80-90% of the 20000 KWhr electrical usage in its main building. The congregation anticipates an annual energy savings of $2400-$3000. M.B. […]
United Church of Chapel Hill Solar Project
Our Solar Journey at United Church of Chapel Hill On November 6, 2015, the latest photovoltaic array on a North Carolina house of worship went online. The 84.76 kW, 326 panel system will generate 60% of our annual electricity needs at United Church of Chapel Hill (UCCH) and reduce our overall carbon footprint by a minimum of 44% next year and for years to come. The project was funded as part of a congregation-wide, multi-purpose capital campaign using a “donation model” with the option for individual donors to receive North Carolina state tax credits for the portion of the campaign […]
Elon Community Church
Elon Community Church followed the LLC model of financing our solar panels. This is the model developed by the Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy (AIRE) in Boone and utilized by the Asheville UCC. What follows are learnings and suggestions gleaned from our experience of putting this model into action. Refer to Joe Hoffman’s article to see the original example. Perspective: This is a creative and complex model that allows a non-profit (for example, a church) to take advantage of tax credits in order to maximize capital investment in solar panels. Its structure and process allow “benevolent investors” (in an LLC) […]
Temple Emanuel, Greensboro
Temple Emanuel 1129 Jefferson Road, Greensboro, NC 27410 Contact: Gary Silverstein, gsilverstein@triad.rr.com Temple Emanuel, Greensboro dedicated their 5 kW solar system on October 16, 2011 at their Jewish Festival. Temple Emanuel has had a very active Teva Committee for many years. Teva is the Hebrew word for nature. The Teva Committee worked for several years shepherding the solar project through the congregational administrative structure, culminating in unanimous approval by their Board of Trustees. Both Rabbis Fred Guttman and Andy Koren were fully supportive. Each donor receives a proportional share of the tax credit on their North Carolina return, depending on the size […]
Myers Park Baptist Church, Charlotte
Myers Park Baptist Church 1900 Queens Rd Charlotte, NC 28207 Contact: Kate Green, greenkat1@bellsouth.net Myers Park Baptist Church, Charlotte dedicated their 5 kW system on October 2, 2011 in a ceremony after worship services. A church Energy Committee, created at the request of their Earthkeepers Group learned about a matching grant using federal stimulus funds that was administered through the State Energy Office and applied for the funds in the fall of 2009. In order to make their grant application more attractive to the state, the church proposed putting a display in their Learning Center that tells people about energy and carbon savings […]
First Congregational United Church of Christ, Asheville
First Congregational United Church of Christ, Asheville 20 Oak St., Asheville, NC 28801 Contact: Pastor Joe Hoffman, revjoehof@uccasheville.org First Congregational United Church of Christ, Asheville is the first congregation in North Carolina to use this model. They dedicated their 10KW solar system at a Solarbration on April 3, 2011. It was featured in a news story in the Asheville Citizen-Times, Asheville Church Puts Faith in Solar Power. The project was developed by the Earth Team with the full support of Pastor Joe Hoffman, who had been promoting the idea for several years. Members of the Earth Team, members of the church, […]