July 7, 2015 – Fairfield, CT
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Black Rock Congregational Church in Fairfield, Connecticut this past Tuesday to celebrate the completion of the church’s new solar panels. The church planned the event in partnership with SunLight General Capital, the owner and financier of the 132 kW rooftop system.
Members from the congregation and the greater Fairfield community gathered to celebrate. Representatives from local news publications and News 12 Connecticut were also in attendance to cover the event.
Leaders from the church, SunLight General, and SHR Energy Management (the original developer of the project) spoke about the new panels and their benefits.
“Being a good neighbor” has always been in the spirit of the church, said Ken Brix, Executive Director. He emphasized the organization’s focus on being environmentally friendly, noting the low emission parking lot lights along with other efforts to make the greater Fairfield community greener.
The new solar panels, which are meant to cover about 85% of the church’s electricity usage, will have a dramatic impact on the church’s goal of being a good neighbor. “The system will take significant stress off the local grid,” said Stacey Hughes of SunLight General during her remarks at the event.
Hughes also pointed out other environmental benefits, noting, “Over the life of the system, the panels will offset the equivalent of more than 6 million passenger vehicle miles.”
Noel Lafayette, of SHR Energy Management, noted that the church’s savings on its electric bills can be redistributed to other projects to continue bettering the church community.
All parties expressed their happiness towards the investment in solar energy, especially through a community institution like the church.
“Our investors are always looking for new socially responsible projects,” Hughes said, “and SunLight is delighted that the system at Black Rock Church is up and running.”