Memorial United Church of Christ

LOCATION: Fitchburg, Wisconsin   |   CAPACITY: 21.6 kW   |   COMPLETION DATE: July 2018

SOLAR CONTRACTOR:

Memorial United Church of Christ is a progressive, inclusive, multi-generational UCC church in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. LSC and Midwest Solar Power partnered to install a 20 kilowatt solar array that will meet approximately 90% of the church’s total electricity needs over the course of the year.

The high level of concern for the environment was demonstrated by the unanimous approval of the Memorial United Church of Christ congregation to add solar to our building in Fitchburg.  Legacy Coop and Solar Connections helped us study our energy needs, size the system and explore alternative financing.  The system has exceeded our expectations, meeting more than 90% of our electric energy needs. Financial support from Renew Wisconsin’s  Solar for Good  program and Focus On Energy was also critical to making our solar project a success.

– Dean Baumgardner, Trustee

Legacy Solar Co-op was invited to meet with Memorial UCC early in the summer of 2018 to see what size of a solar array would work out best for the church.  Kurt Reinhold completed a site assessment and tax financing proposal report thanks to a matching grant offered by RENEW Wisconsin for such a purpose, and Memorial UCC considered their options. As it turns out, they also were the recipient of a $10,000 Solar-For-Good grant through the Coulliard Foundation, so they opted to self-fund the rest of the project themselves and hired LSC Member Rik Rosenlund and Midwest Solar Power to install the solar array in July. Taking the amount of both grants off the installation cost allows them to pay off the project in roughly 13 years (the panels are warranteed for 25 years but life expectancy may be well over 40 years).

The Legacy

The Solar Legacy is further emphasized when you factor in the environmental benefits that come with solar, as projected for this project in the following table. This solar project will save about 19,039 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere in year 1 

Gallery

 

Slice of Sun Solar Bonds

Legacy Solar Co-op sells Slice-of-Sun Solar Bonds to any member who would like to support a Solar Legacy project like this one, and earn between 4% and 6% interest on their bonds purchased through the co-op. Ready to get involved?