Diocese one of the top solar subscribers in the United States

The numbers are in and they are significant.

The Diocese of Albany, which partnered with Nexamp Solar to use their solar panels to cut down on its energy consumption, is on pace for a one-year savings of $68,557 through a total capacity of 5,176 kilowatts. 

The Diocese, through the use of 16,698 solar panels, has avoided the energy equivalent of 1,626 tons of waste sent to a landfill, and offset 3,976 metric tons of CO2, which would be equivalent to 10,532,335 miles driven by the average car. The savings number includes all the buildings - parishes, schools, Catholic Charities entities and, most recently, Avila Retirement Community - under the diocesan umbrella. Properties started going online in November. 

It also makes the Diocese, according to one organization, one of the top solar subscribers in the United States with roughly 20-to-25 percent of its buildings participating. 

“We are thrilled that so many of our Diocesan entities, including Catholic Charities and our parishes, have decided to participate in our solar initiative,” said Paul Ehmann, Director of the Office of Real Property. “The Diocese of Albany has become one of the top subscribers of solar energy in the USA. The call to be good stewards of the earth and our commitment to “Laudato Si” is apparent in the numbers.” 

The numbers were so striking that California Interfaith Power and Light, which has organized a religious response in that state since 2000, contacted Nexamp about the Diocese’s solar subscription with concerns that the numbers were simply not accurate. The Council added the numbers “exceed that installed by congregations of all faiths in most states and ties the San Diego Diocese whose capacity is distributed among individual systems in over 50 parishes.” 

“The numbers provided demonstrate the total benefit the Albany Diocese has realized through their community solar subscriptions across the many sites we have enrolled at this time,” Nexamp said in response to the concerns at the time.  “Most of their sites were enrolled on the same project, until recently when that project was fully subscribed, and we began adding their locations to our next project expected to come online that will serve National Grid.”

“We have over 15 new National Grid community solar projects expected to come online in the next 12 months with even more coming in other utility zones.” 

Just about every business is struggling to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Diocese is no different; realizing any amount of savings is significant. 

“During this particularly challenging time of COVID-19, the money we save is available for the many missions that serve the people of the Diocese,” Ehmann said. “I should add that, while we have concentrated on using this initiative on our larger buildings and institutions, the savings are available to parishioners and diocesan residents as well. All they need do is subscribe.”

And it is pretty simple and free to sign up through the diocesan energy partners, Capital Energy Partners LLC. John Hamor, from Capital Energy said the savings on your National Grid bill comes “on the delivery and demand side,” which would zero out, then Nexamp would take 10 percent off of the next bill. Hamor said the bigger the parishes or properties would realize a bigger savings.

For more information, parishes should call John Hamor at (518) 860-2641 and parishioners can go to albanydiocesesolar.org.