{"id":16096,"date":"2014-01-14T11:31:05","date_gmt":"2014-01-14T17:31:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=16096"},"modified":"2014-01-14T11:31:05","modified_gmt":"2014-01-14T17:31:05","slug":"religious-intentional-communities-solar-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/religious-intentional-communities-solar-power\/","title":{"rendered":"“The Sun Rises, and the Sun Sets”: 14 Religious Communities Using Solar Power"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n If I asked you to provide a one or two word answer to the question “What do you call a group of people who live together, share work and living space, and power their lifestyle with renewable energy?” you’d likely answer with “commune,” or “ecovillage,” or maybe even “intentional community<\/a>.” “Monastery” or “convent” probably wouldn’t come immediately to mind, but perhaps they should: like their earthier brethren, numerous religious communities are now powering at least a portion of their buildings and groups with solar power.<\/p>\n The reasoning for this choice often involves a dedication to “creation care<\/a>” by the men and\/or women of the community, as well as the order\/organization to which they belong. There may be more practical reasons for going solar, as well: a purchased array of solar panels will eventually pay for itself and deliver “free”energy. If there’s an excess of electricity created, the community may take advantage of net metering options, or even sell the power to nearby homeowners and businesses. A solar lease<\/a>, on the other hand, can fix electricity costs for a long term, ensuring savings on utility costs. Monks and nuns are like the rest of us in one sense: they’re not interested in paying any more for power than they have to…<\/p>\n Thankfully, as Zach Shahan notes in on Cost of Solar<\/a>, the cost of solar panels have come down quite a bit<\/a> and solar can save money in the not-too-long run<\/a>. After digging around a bit, I’ve discovered these 14 religious communities that are powering themselves (at least partially) with the sun. If you know of others, tell us about them.<\/p>\n Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert:<\/strong> Solar power was a true no-brainer for these New Mexico-based monks: the abbey is fifteen miles from the nearest power line<\/a>. Their solar array is just one of a number of sustainable systems<\/a> integrated into their complex.<\/p>\n Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration:<\/strong> The Tuscon, Arizona-based nuns<\/a> have been using small-scale solar power for a number of years; their newest array powers much of their facility<\/a>.<\/p>\n Deer Park Monastery:<\/strong> This Buddhist “mindfulness center”<\/a>\u00a0in Escondido, California,\u00a0started running on solar power in 2008, and has three installed arrays.<\/p>\n Carmel of the Most Holy Trinity:<\/strong> Within the Notting Hill neighborhood of London, these Carmelite nuns<\/a>\u00a0replaced an aging gas boiler in their Victorian-era convent with a solar hot water system<\/a>.<\/p>\n14 Religious Communities Using Solar Power<\/h3>\n