News from The Green Team

Sōl Power

Sixty-day Countdown to
Solar Power at Islington United!

The Green Team is very excited about the news that a contract has been signed by our church to produce electric power from solar panels to be installed on the roof of Stewart East Hall! This is the first of a series of articles describing what is happening, what the system will look like, why our congregation is doing this, and communicating about the energy audit for the church that is underway this summer.

Our contractor, SolarGrid, will soon begin work on the project to install solar panels and it will take about 60 days to complete. The following is a step-by-step chronology of what will be happening over the summer months from the date the contract was signed last week:

1. Contract between Islington United Church and SolarGrid/
   Intervolt was signed on June 29, 2011 by representatives of Church Council and the Board of Trustees on behalf of the congregation.
   
   
2. On Tuesday, July 5 SolarGrid made application to Toronto Hydro for approval of the technical specifications and requirements to connect Islington United’s electrical power production to the Toronto power grid. This approval process will take about two weeks to complete. Our contract with SolarGrid is conditional upon the approval of these specifications.
   
   
3. After we receive written approval from Toronto Hydro, a site visit will be made to determine the exact location of the new electric meter that will be installed to begin recording Islington’s electric power production when the solar panels are connected to the grid.
   
   
4. In the meantime, SolarGrid will deliver, hoist and begin installing the solar panels on the roof of Stewart East Hall since it may take two weeks for the site visit to take place.
   
   
5. Our contractor will make application to the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) for an inspection of the work when the meter location has been determined, the solar panels and monitoring system have been installed, and all is ready for connection to the main grid.
   
   
6. After passing inspection, ESA will submit a connection authorization to Toronto Hydro.
   
   
7. Toronto Hydro will then make a site visit to connect Islington United’s solar power system to the main grid. This work will take one business day to complete and will be scheduled in advance to minimize disruption. Toronto Hydro may also conduct its own inspection at that time.
   
   
8. After Islington’s solar power system is connected to the main grid and is producing electric power, Toronto Hydro will send a Notice of Completion to the Ontario Power Authority (OPA).
   
   
9. OPA will then send an “activate” email to our contractor, SolarGrid, and Islington United Church will begin generating clean “green” electric power to Toronto’s power grid. SolarGrid will provide full closing documents to mark the completion of the project.
   
   
10. In due course, Islington United Church will receive the final version of our 20-year contract from OPA and Toronto Hydro will regularly remit payments to Islington United for each kWh produced!
    

As we reported in the March 20 bulletin and the Easter issue of LINK Newsletter, lots of research has “generated” the Sōl Power project. The Green Team consulted other churches that have installed solar panels or are about to do so to learn from their experience. Islington has joined the Green Awakening Network, a United Church forum, to learn more from its members. Three experienced solar panel suppliers provided quotes and references that were evaluated by an experienced team of Islington members: Fred Leslie, Ian Reece, Bob Shirer, Steve Tower, Elsa van Vliet, Gil Watson and John Woomert.

SolarGrid was selected after a thorough investigation of our options. Financing options and a business plan were presented to Church Council and the Board of Trustees for approval. The plan presents a relatively short payback with a very attractive return on investment over 20 years. It is important to note that the Sōl Power project does not reduce our energy consumption – we do! Instead, it is an opportunity to supply clean “green” solar power to the city’s electric power grid and generate income for the church at the same time.

There are many ways in which we can support a more sustainable future – through better insulation of the church (windows, doors and walls), actively reducing our energy usage, (better light bulbs, occupancy zone thermostats, etc.), replacing “energy hogs” (like our electric water heater), and better management of our resources and waste. The Green Team will be investigating and driving these types of initiatives, too.

But why have we moved ahead with solar panels so quickly, you may ask? If we care so much about the environment, aren’t there other projects we could do instead?

Several levels of government and their agencies are encouraging a significant move to alternate forms of generating electricity as an investment in Canada’s future. Here in Ontario there are provincial and municipal programs to support this move and Islington United Church is working within these opportunities. We have been granted a conditional contract by OPA so that if we generate electric power through solar panels we will receive 80.2 cents per kWh for 20 years. But this rate is only guaranteed until the end of January 2012.

Why consider any of these projects? Our creed calls us “to live with respect in Creation” and that means taking action where we can and doing so much more than carefully sorting our garbage each week. We care about Creation because we want all to live in a beautiful world, to be assured of the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat, and not to have our lives devastated by the impact of climate change – especially where these are within humanity’s control. We also recognize that those who can be most harmed by climate change are often the most disadvantaged among the world’s people. That is the social justice dimension to the care of Creation.

Solar-generated electric power at Islington United Church is just the first step. The next article in this series will tell you how our solar system will work. And if you have any questions about Sōl Power or other initiatives, speak to any member of the Green Team: Carole Bennett, Dennis Bradley, Laura Johnston, Dave Laughton, Michael Perkins or lead – Steve Tower.    

Read How Our Solar Power System Will Work