Vienna church to host town’s first large-scale solar project – FFXnow

A Vienna church hopes to soon draw energy from both the sun and God as it embarks on what appears to be the biggest solar panel project in the town so far.

With permitting almost complete, workers are slated to break ground on a solar photovoltaic canopy in the Church of the Holy Comforter’s parking lot at 543 Beulah Road NE in mid to late July, contractor Govan Builders says.

Coupled with rooftop solar panels, the 176-kilowatt array will generate enough power to support all of the Episcopal church’s electrical needs, according to Daniel Govan, the principal for Govan Builders. It will be Vienna’s first solar canopy.

Pledging to achieve carbon neutrality — where it eliminates as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it produces — by 2030, the Church of the Holy Comforter has been working on its “Solarize the Campus” project since 2021.

According to a background summary provided to FFXnow, the church’s rector, Rev. Jon Strand, began reaching out to local solar providers in April 2021 with plans for a rooftop solar project to kick off the push toward carbon neutrality.

Around the same time, the son of two late parishioners, Victor and Joan Brown, wanted to honor their memories by giving a gift to the church.

“After discussing several options, sculpture, re-landscaping, the Brown family determined that a solar installation in their parents memory was the best option, fitting their shared values,” the Church of the Holy Comforter said.

The church then formed a team in early 2022 to review the best options for a solar array and launched a capital campaign that also raised funds for debt retirement and other capital improvements, including the addition of a music classroom. With the support of its congregation, the church managed to exceed its goal of $1.25 million.

The church ultimately identified Structural Solar LLC as its provider in late 2022, stating that the business “met our goals for cost and design needs.”

However, a few other pieces still needed to fall into place to make the project possible, including the Town of Vienna’s adoption of an updated zoning code that allows utility facilities in residential and a couple of commercial districts with a conditional use permit.

In addition, savings from declining solar panel costs and Inflation Reduction Act tax credits that let nonprofits to cut the cost of renewable energy projects by up to 30% enabled the church to include rooftop solar in its plans, along with a canopy.

The solar panels will be installed on south-facing roofs of the church’s chapel and McGill hall.

“Both roofs were also at ages that required replacement,” the church says.

The solar canopy will be made out of galvanized steel and consist of six plate bases bolted into concrete piers, measuring just over 176 feet long and standing at least 13 feet above the ground, according to an application for an exterior modification approved on June 20 by the Vienna Board of Architectural Review.

The canopy structure is being provided by Structural Solar, while Ipsun Solar is providing the photovoltaic panels.

Per the application, two existing light poles will be removed to make room for the solar canopy, which will be mounted with six 36-watt LED lights.

The canopy was expected to cost between $450,000 and $650,000, the Gazette Leader reported in March, when the church began the permitting process.

The church says some costs turned out to be higher than anticipated, including for the site plan, lighting engineering and installation, and some contracting costs, but other items were cheaper, including hiring Govan Builders and the actual solar panels. Some of the additional costs were covered by a $10,000 grant from Fairfax County’s Energy Conservation Assistance Program.

The total project cost ended up around $600,000, including the additional rooftop solar system, Govan told FFXnow.

Hopeful that it would have secured all necessary permits by the end of June, the church says it hopes to complete the solar project by mid-October.

“This represents nearly 4 years of effort by many,” the church wrote in the summary. “We hope to be a resource for others in their efforts going forward, we all have to care for this planet by working together!”

Since early 2023, the Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination has been working with the nonprofit Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions on a “Climate Champions” pilot program to help faith communities improve their energy efficiency.

This post was originally published on 3rd party site mentioned in the title of this site