Paradise Lutheran Church Goes Solar After Devastating Wildfire
In 2018, the Camp Fire broke out in Butte County, Northern California. It affected several towns and cities, but none worse than Paradise, CA. All in all, the Camp Fire burned more than 150,000 acres, (240 sq. miles) damaged or destroyed more than 18,000 structures/buildings, and was the cause of 85 deaths. It was the deadliest fire in the history of the state of California. For some perspective, the second deadliest fire was the Griffith Park Fire, which caused 29 deaths.
According to the experts, more than half of the acres burned in the western United States can be attributed to climate change. The number of dry, hot, windy days (perfect wildfire weather) has doubled since the 1980’s and average summer temperatures in California have risen by approximately 3 degrees F (1.8℃) since 1896, with more than half of that increase occurring since the early 1970s.
Among the damaged structures in Paradise that were lucky enough to avoid being completely destroyed is Paradise Lutheran Church. As stated on their website, the Paradise Lutheran Church welcomes everyone including nontraditional families such as cohabitating couples, older singles, divorced people, unmarried parents, members of all races and ethnicities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their partners, and of course, children of all ages. The Church also houses N.A. meetings and has a popular Mission Endowment Fund, which raises money for local causes in need. When Paradise Lutheran was building their new Abbey, the church membership knew that designing it with solar was the right thing to do, given the impacts of climate change on wildfires in Northern California.
We were lucky enough to be able to help them fund their solar installation project. Here are the details:
Contractor (AES):
Chico-based Alternative Energy Systems has the most experience in the area working with nonprofits. They also have the reputation, equipment options, and financing relationship with SDC Energy, which differentiated our offering and allowed us to win the job.
“The SDC Energy process is simple to understand, explain, and implement, and it makes it easy for non-profits to take advantage of all the environmental and financial benefits of solar energy. SDC is a great financing tool to have in our toolbox.”
About the solar installation:
40 kW DC
Roof Mount System
REC Solar Modules
SMA Inverters
Project included 10-year O&M Warranty provided by the contractor
Church:
”SDC Energy was helpful and knowledgeable, willing to answer questions at any time during the process. They answered financing questions, smoothed the entire funding process, and enabled us to capture a portion of the tax rebate.”
Paradise Lutheran Church also opted for solar because of the cost savings, as PG&E’s rates continue to increase. SDC Energy’s financing was a big decision-maker. As a church, there was no other way for them to capture any portion of the tax credit. The project would have been unaffordable otherwise.
Paradise Lutheran Church’s story is one of fear and tragedy, but also of resolve, and maybe a bit of luck. After their terrifying experiences, we were honored to be able to help them make their mark, no matter how small, on the fight against climate change, which is at least partially to blame for what they endured. Without the help of SDC Energy, Paradise Lutheran Church would not have been able to afford going solar. This is just one of many projects we’ve completed in the recent past and there are always more on the horizon. If you’re interested in investing in one of these projects, reach out to us and we’ll discuss your options.
