St George’s produces green energy

Monday October 27th 2008

St George’s Parish Church, High Street, Belfast, features on the cover of the October 2008 issue of Greening the Church, a publication issued by the Church of Ireland’s Ecological and Environmental Panel.

The church has installed photovoltaic panels on part of the roof, and has been generating electricity for some time.

The panels convert sunlight into electricity, but are not the same as solar panels which convert sunlight into hot water. St George’s dismissed the use of solar panels because the only hot water used in the church was for the infrequent washing of dishes.

Some of the energy produced by the new panels is consumed by the church, and the remainder goes to the National Grid. The project means the church is reducing its carbon footprint. The panels were expensive, although the church benefited from grant aid. However, all future benefits are free.

You can read the full story in Greening the Church.