Jamaica, Queens Parish and Monastery Bless Solar Project
Solar array of nearly 800 panels installed atop carport in Passionists facility
Washington, D.C.
The Passionists St. Paul of the Cross Province, a global religious order, held an interfaith prayer service today to celebrate their new solar panel installation at their Jamaica, Queens headquarters, on a campus shared with Immaculate Conception Church.
The installation features a solar array creatively installed atop a carport area expected to generate an estimated 452,625 kWh hours of solar electric energy per year. The project was developed in partnership with Catholic Energies, a service of the Washington, DC-based nonprofit Catholic Climate Covenant, which helps guide the U.S. Church’s response on climate change and care for creation. This project is one of several that the Passionists St. Paul of the Cross Province has collaborated with Catholic Energies to develop, demonstrating their commitment to integral ecology through renewable energy for their facilities.
“As Passionists, we seek to live more sustainably, to integrate our faith with our deep appreciation and care for Earth,” said Father James O’Shea, C.P., Provincial. “This is our way of caring for creation from where we are, our literal headquarters, and we hope to encourage other people of faith to do what they can from where they stand.
At today’s interfaith prayer service, the solar panels were blessed and in attendance were Father James O'Shea, CP - Provincial Superior, Passionists Province of St. Paul of the Cross; James F. Gennaro - New York City Council Member, District 24; Dan Misleh, founder of Catholic Climate Covenant; and Dan Last, Chief Executive Officer of Mission Energy.
“We are so pleased the Catholic Church can play a part in the energy revolution happening now through this Catholic Energies project,” said Dan Misleh, founder of Catholic Climate Covenant. “The Passionists are not only helping their community, but they are also helping our entire world suffering from global warming.”
As a program of Catholic Climate Covenant, Catholic Energies provides Catholic organizations turnkey project development services, solar and energy-efficiency expertise, and access to financial resources. Catholic nonprofits have funding options for energy projects, such as a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)/third-party ownership model.
Another option, direct ownership of solar facilities, is newly incentivized for nonprofits via passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Catholic Energies secures investors who pay for projects in return for tax credits or assists client organizations to secure direct ownership incentives available through the IRA and other programs. Frequently, a solar installation can save the organization substantially versus what they could expect to pay for buying the same amount of energy from the utility.
For the solar system at the Immaculate Conception property, partnering with a third-party owner through a PPA was the best fit for the organization’s needs. The Catholic Energies team partnered with Inclusive Prosperity Capital (IPC) to acquire and fund the project, and enlisted local solar contractor EmPower Solar to construct the system.
Project details:
● Sponsored by The Passionists Province of St. Paul of the Cross (Eastern Province)
● Installed on the campus shared by the Provincial headquarters, monastery and Thomas Berry Place shared with Immaculate Conception Church
● System size is 375 kW DC, consisting of 3 carport structures and nearly 800 solar panels
● Generating 452,625 kWh hours of renewable electricity per year
● Estimated carbon dioxide emissions avoided is 354 tons per year; an environmental equivalent of 383 acres of forest[1]
● In total will offset about 120% of the facility’s annual historical energy requirement
● Estimated to reduce their carbon footprint by about 354 tons of CO2 a year
● Solar project financing provided by Inclusive Prosperity Capital
● Local installer: EmPower Solar
● Diocese: Diocese of Brooklyn
● Developed by Catholic Energies, managed by Mission Energy
● Catholic Energies partner is Catholic Climate Covenant
[1] Estimated using the United States Environmental Protection Agency Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
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About The Passionists, St. Paul of the Cross Province
Faithful to the charism of St. Paul of the Cross, the Mission of the Passionists is to keep alive in the world the love of Jesus Crucified as seen in His Sacred Passion. This mission is rooted in prayerful community life and is expressed in collaborative ministry to the people of God in all walks of life especially to the poor and suffering. We seek the unity of our lives and our Apostolate in the Passion of Jesus.
About Catholic Climate Covenant
Catholic Climate Covenant is a national nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. that partners with 20 U.S. Catholic institutions to help guide the U.S. Church's call to care for creation, our vulnerable neighbors, and our common home.
About Catholic Energies
Catholic Energies is a Catholic Climate Covenant program created in response to “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home” the encyclical signed by Pope Francis in 2015 that started new conversations on how we can fulfill our duty to care for Creation by highlighting climate change as a moral issue. Catholic Energies began with a pilot program in 2016-17 with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The national Catholic Energies program officially launched in late 2017, expanding to include renewable energy in 2018, and is managed by Mission Energy Inc.
About Inclusive Prosperity Capital
Inclusive Prosperity Capital, Inc. (IPC) is a nonprofit investment platform scaling clean energy financing solutions that channel investment capital to program partners in communities that need it most. As a spin-out and strategic partner of the Connecticut Green Bank, IPC is focused on scaling its work in Connecticut and expanding its successful model nationwide by accessing mission-driven capital and partnerships. IPC operates at the intersection of community development, clean energy finance, and climate impact, and believes everyone should have access to the benefits of clean energy.
Media Contact
Media contact: Elena Gaona, 202-907-9717