The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, N.Y., (RCDA) expects to lower its electricity bills through a new community solar agreement with Nexamp.
Nexamp’s community solar farm in Brunswick, N.Y., is a 5.5 MW facility featuring 16,000 solar panels, which are capable of generating enough power for more than 500 average homes. The diocese is beginning with an allocation that covers the power used by its Pastoral Center in Albany, but it expects to subscribe to additional capacity for other buildings in the future.
The RCDA analyzed its options for going solar and decided that community solar was the right approach. With no upfront costs, nothing to install and no long-term contracts, the diocese expects to save 10% on its monthly electricity costs.
“Good stewardship of our resources, both financial and natural, is a responsibility we take very seriously,” says Paul Ehmann, director of RCDA’s office of real property. “Climate change is a real threat in the world today, and the Pope has called us specifically to do our part in implementing solutions that are sustainable on both an environmental and social level. So for us, the opportunity to easily save money and reduce our carbon footprint through community solar made this decision an obvious one.”
“We believe that clean energy should be accessible to everyone, regardless of location, finances or any other variable,” notes Nexamp’s CEO, Zaid Ashai. “For an organization such as the RCDA, community solar aligns well with its commitment to the environment and a desire to make its dollars stretch further. We look forward to working with Paul and his team to expand the program to other facilities in the RCDA portfolio, as well as educating parishioners about the opportunities for their residences.”
