Citing the Vatican's pledge in UN climate treaties to curb carbon emissions, Francis tasked a commission of Vatican officials with developing the solar farm at Santa Maria di Galeria. In a decree, he said the solar energy generated would sufficiently fuel the radio operations there and the Vatican City State itself.

The 430-hectare (1,063-acre) Santa Maria di Galeria site, which enjoys extraterritorial status, was inaugurated in 1957 as a base for Vatican Radio. At the time, the pope's broadcaster transmitted Catholic and Vatican news in dozens of languages worldwide via two dozen short- and medium-wave radio antennae crowding the landscape.

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On the east coast, Valencia aims to install thousands of solar panels in graveyards around the city.

The project has been dubbed RIP - standing for Requiem in Power - and was launched this month with the first photovoltaic panels installed.

The city intends the ambitious initiative to become the largest urban solar farm in Spain.

The city of Valencia plans to install 6,658 solar panels in local cemeteries. Some 810 have already been installed in Grau, Campanar, and Benimàmet cemeteries.

These will generate a total power supply of more than 440,000 kilowatts annually.

According to the local council, it will also result in over 140 tons a year of carbon dioxide savings.

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Chartwell Cooperating Church have installed their first round of solar panels, with plans to cover more of their roof in the future.

Solar power is a clean power source, compared to burning fossil fuels such as gas or coal. read more

An estimated US$400 billion will be allocated to solar energy this year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Thursday in its annual world energy investment report.

"About $2.8 trillion is set to be invested globally in energy in 2023, of which more than $1.7 trillion is expected to go to clean technologies — including renewables, electric vehicles, nuclear power, grids, storage, low-emissions fuels, efficiency improvements and heat pumps," the Paris-based agency reported.

Clean energy investment surpasses the estimated $1 trillion allocated to fossil fuels, which includes coal, gas and oil. In the past, the $2 trillion annual energy investment was evenly divided between fossil fuels and clean technologies.

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Vatican officials have released a document offering a guide for Catholics on how to take care of the earth as God's creation and man's "common home," citing the diocese's response to Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si'.

Maasin Diocese in Leyte province has installed solar panels in 42 churches to generate electricity in its fight against global warming and environmental abuse. Read more

Once built, Catholic Charities says the 2-megawatt array will be the biggest project approved in DC.

The project's benefits look promising.

Consisting of 5,000-plus panels, the array will provide enough renewable power to offset the energy needs of 12 Catholic Charities' buildings throughout DC.

The array will generate 2.7 million kilowatt-hours per year - that's enough to power about 260 houses.

The array is expected to offset an estimated 3,400 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, about the same as is produced each year from energy use in 370 or so houses.

One of the Catholic Climate Change Covenant's programmes, Catholic Energies, provided the expertise and financial resources at no cost.

This is in line with its policy to provide its services free of charge to Catholic organisations wanting to "embrace and install solar power and other energy efficiency equipment to help reduce costs, protect our Common Home, and future generations".

The array project is reportedly the most ambitious Catholic Energies has developed so far.

Catholic Energies will also manage the solar project's construction.

One of the construction companies engaged for the project, IGS Solar, will own the panels and will be selling renewable energy certificates, so consumers can certify their electricity came from renewable sources.

Although the project costs for investors has not been disclosed, Catholic Charities DC says it estimates hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual energy cost savings.

"We are proud to have this opportunity to take up Pope Francis's call to action to protect our environment," Msgr John Enzler says.

Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities DC, says "Climate change is an urgent issue and we are pleased that this project ...[helps reduce] the consumption of fossil fuels ...[by] generating solar power."

The Sustainable DC 2.0 plan aims to make the capital city, Washington DC, its most sustainable city by 2032.

This will be achieved, in part, by increasing renewable energy use by 50 percent and cutting city-wide energy use by the same amount.

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: The Business Journals

Power to the People, a charitable trust formed through St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Hastings, hopes to set up a solar farm in Flaxmere with a loan from the Hawke's Bay Regional Council (HBRC)

The Trust is approaching individuals and looking at crowd-sourcing to fund the rest of its $2.7m budget.

It expressed interest in funding from the Provincial Growth Fund, which recently announced a $68m boost for the Hawke's Bay region.

But since the project was not about job creation, it did not progress to a funding application.

Project manager Chris Lambourne said the funding should be secured by December. "It's just a matter of getting signatures on cheques."

The Trust is looking at various sites, weighing up the pros and cons including the potential multimillion-dollar costs.

Three two-hectare sites were being considered for the solar farm, with some lease options available.

Lambourne said about 4000 panels would be installed. "Once the go button has been pushed, it should take about six months to install."

Profit was not the goal, which was why the project sought most of its funding through grants.

"Solar panels still have to pay their way, but it's about giving those profits to the community with cheaper power," Lambourne said.

The "pilot programme" could be extended to other suburbs if it proved successful.

"It's really about targeting health issues, which flows on to things like school attendance and employment."

"There will be great long-term benefits … we're talking about a 30-year timeframe."

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

The National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, a shrine operated by the Redemptorists, will be installing solar panels in the coming months.

Brother Ciriaco Santiago, head of the congregation's Commission on Social Mission Apostolate, said the project is a "step toward becoming a green church."

The religious community approved to use the church's roof to generate electricity for the shrine, including its offices and other facilities.

"It would take at least three months to finish the installation, but the target is to complete it within the year," Brother Santiago told ucanews.com.

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They will supply about 65% of the church's electricity needs.

This will be the second solar panel array installed on a church owned building at the Yona.

Last December, St. Francis Catholic School turned on a 100- KW system (more than twice the size of the parish system).

Last May solar panels were installed atop the archbishop's house and Chancery offices.

Source

• umatuna.org
• Image: Flickr

Saint Mary Star of the Sea has invested in five-watt solar panels on the roof of the parish building in Campion Road.

Father Yvan Sergy says the panels will be installed in the second week of August, after months of fundraising.

"They will produce electricity that will be bought by the electric company who supplies us.

"They will then offset the cost against our bill. We cannot produce enough for the whole bill but it will certainly make a difference."

Father Yvan says the fact that solar power is a renewable source of energy was a key factor when deciding to go ahead with the project.

"The church has a responsibility to look after the Earth. We are trying to set an example and, hopefully, it will encourage individuals to do the same."

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