Quick Facts:
This effort (2017-2019) to find an affordable way for communities of faith to go solar was organized by NC WARN and was supported by the NC NAACP and the Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity.
In 2017, 150 faith leaders sent a letter to Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good, asking her to partner with them to facilitate the use of solar power on faith buildings. We met several times with Duke Energy representatives.
We held a prayer vigil at Duke Energy headquarters in Charlotte (see more on that event below).
Since Duke refused to collaborate on the effort, we pursued alternative means of helping faith groups find financing that would enable them to go solar with no money down. No such funding was found, but we continue to work for policies that would enable faith groups and others to enjoy the full benefit of solar energy.
Resources
Background
Our faith leaders have had several meetings with Duke Energy and, in October 2017, held a prayer vigil at Duke Energy headquarters in Charlotte. Rev. Karin Richardson Dunn prepared a special set of prayers for the vigil, each of which was read by a different participant. Prayers were offered in English, Hebrew and Arabic. See photos from the vigil below.
Faith in Solar Steering Committee member Rev. Dr. Rodney S. Sadler, Jr. said at an early organizing meeting: “God placed us here to make this planet a better place. This gives us the opportunity to act together to make a demand – not a political demand, but a theological demand – that houses of faith be able to access the energy that the Creator is giving directly to us from the sun. We can lead the way as people of faith with a theological paradigm that supports Creation Care by reducing our carbon footprint and solarizing our houses of worship.” Read his full remarks here.