Solar for CIPL's Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

The Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is going solar in a big way. This Saturday, September 6, the congregation will install a 5000 watt solar photovoltaic generator on their Fellowship building in Bayside. The system will provide all of the facility's electricity needs and is the centerpiece of the congregation's effort to minimize their "carbon footprint" and become a "Green Sanctuary". Scott Allen, a retired Coast Guard Captain and member of the congregation, encouraged the group to take responsibility for their own energy needs as part of an overall effort to minimize waste, eliminate use of toxins and seek a healthier way of life. "We reached consensus on the project last year and members invested in our "Adopt a Watt" fundraising campaign so that everyone is a part owner of the system. Our faith leads us to care for each other and our world and the interdependent web of life on which we all depend for our food, clean water and air to breathe. Our Solar Generator will add most of it's electricity to the local electrical grid during hot summer afternoons when it is most needed for air conditioners and home and business energy consumption. Through a bi-directional meter we will buy electricity back in the evenings when the peak need for electricity has passed. It is a win-win for electricity consumers on the North Coast. We could wait for someone else to solve the puzzle of how to meet our national, and world, need for energy but the social, political and economic upheavals over securing sources of energy convinced us that we should act locally and act now. By tackling this project we will leave a legacy of personal responsibility and good stewardship to our children and our community. As a member congregation of California Interfaith Power and Light, we are eager to share what we have learned with other congregations, homeowners and businesses and encourage them to act as well" Roger, a local solar installer, designed and will supervise construction of the system. Aided by a grant from the State of California's Solar Initiative, the congregation raised over $27,000 to pay for the project. An electric vehicle charging station will be installed at the site as well.

POINT OF CONTACT:

SCOTT ALLEN
825 7019
616 5598
RAINDOG@SUDDENLINK.NET