Concord Catholic School Saves with Power from the Sun
Novato and Sonoma based SolarCraft, a leading North Bay solar installer for over 35 years, recently completed the installation of a 138 kW DC solar system at Church of the Good Sheperd in Pittsburgh, CA. The installation of the solar photovoltaic arrays will reduce the school's carbon footprint and power their facilities with sunlight, reducing their utility costs by thousands every month.
The solar power system is ground mounted on the east side of the parking lot, consisting of 390 high-efficiency solar panels, producing 202,991 kWh annually. The system consists of 2 arrays, powering the church and the parish hall with clean, renewable energy.
The solar installation at Church of the Good Sheperd 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. Installing solar panels will save them money on utilities, freeing up the operating budget for serving the parish and essential community projects.
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, such as
St. Francis, benefit from fixed electricity prices which will never increase.
Every year over 144 metric tons of carbon dioxide generated by Good Sheperd's operations will be eliminated. This impact is equivalent to removing air pollution produced by almost 9 million miles of driving over 25 years or the pollutants removed by 187 acres of trees in one year.
About Church of the Good Sheperd
On May 25, 1965 Bishop Floyd L. Begin established a 2nd parish in Pittsburg and named Fr. Louis Dabovich the first Pastor of Church of the Good Shepherd. The first mass was celebrated on July 4, 1965 in a former furniture store in Shopping Heights Lane. On August 17, 1969 ground was broken for the existing church and rectory at 3200 Harbor Street. Construction was completed on September 6, 1970. Good Shepherd has had several associates and a past and current deacon plus many ministries and volunteers—over 200 to date-that have shaped our parish and have helped us to be true to our mission of being a sacramental community of faith, guided by the Spirit, inspired by the Word of God and centered in the Eucharist.
SolarCraft is 100% Employee-Owned and one of the largest green-tech employers based in the North Bay for over35 years. SolarCraft delivers Clean Energy Solutions for homes and businesses including Solar Electric and Battery/Energy Storage. With over 8,000 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.
