St. Anne Catholic Church

House of Worship Solar Electric Installation Project Profile

This 133 kW solar project is a milestone in St. Anne’s concerted efforts to be responsible stewards of the earth.  The system is designed to provide over 90% of their annual electrical needs for the church facilities.  St. Anne is reducing their operating costs by thousands every month and stabilizing energy expenses for decades to come.

The solar power system is roof mounted for maximum sun exposure and consists of 379 high-efficiency solar panels, producing 197,873 kWh annually.  Excess power generated during the day is banked by PG&E for credit towards future use when the sun isn’t shining.

The solar installation at St. Anne church is one of many planned through the Diocese of Oakland Solar Energy Program for Parishes and Schools, displaying community leadership by promoting environmental responsibility through the implementation of renewable energy, but also recognizing the importance of managing operation costs.

“Our goal is to make our part of the world in east Contra Costa County a better place.  We seek to serve the needs of the young and the old, the poor and disenfranchised,” said Father Ronald Schmit.  “One of the areas of great need is our mother the earth. We have moved to make our facilities energy efficient and to use solar energy not to just save money. We do these things because it is our responsibility to take care of the natural world. It is good and moral to reduce our carbon footprint on our God-given planet.”

California Clean Energy (CCE), a Renewable Energy Service Provider for nonprofit organizations, will own the system and recover its costs through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the church.  A PPA is an alternative to purchasing or financing your own solar power system, providing nonprofits the opportunity to utilize clean solar energy with no up-front costs and no system operation, maintenance, and replacement costs.   Customers also benefit from pre-set electricity prices which will never increase.

Every year over 140 metric tons of carbon dioxide generated by St. Anne’s operations will be eliminated.  This impact is equivalent to removing air pollution produced by over 8.5 million miles of driving over 25 years or the pollutants removed by 165 acres of trees in one year.

About St. Anne Catholic Church

St. Anne Catholic Church is a multi-cultural Christ-centered welcoming community with a mission to serve the needs of not only Catholics but to be of service to all people of good will.   Many sacred services are provided, such as Baptisms, First communion, reconciliation, confirmation for youth and adults.  The church also offers other services including marriage, rite of Christian initiation for adults, communion to the sick and viaticum/last rites and organizes a variety of events and community gatherings.

SolarCraft is 100% Employee-Owned and one of the largest green-tech employers based in the North Bay for over 35 years.  SolarCraft delivers Clean Energy Solutions for homes and businesses including Solar Electric, Solar Pool Heating and Battery / Energy Storage.  With over 7,000 customers, our team of dedicated employee-partners is proud to have installed more solar energy systems than any other company in the North Bay.    www.solarcraft.com.

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