St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Palo Alto, California, includes three churches: Our Lady of the Rosary, St. Albert the Great, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Two of those churches, Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Albert the Great, are particularly appropriate for installation of a solar system because of the orientation and area of their roofs.
In early 2014, the parish considered the development of a solar system at Our Lady of the Rosary. Three solar companies were consulted. A contract was let with the non-profit company, SunWork Renewable Energy Projects. A plan to raise the required funds was conceived that relied on contributions from parishioners, and did not rely on existing parish funds.
The system is pictured in two photos below. The panels are situated on the school that is adjacent to the church. The design consists of 104 solar panels producing 27 kilowatts (DC) of power. The system produces 60 percent of the electricity required by the church and associated school. The cost of the system was $66,976. A significant portion of the cost was provided by a rebate from Palo Alto Utilities, namely $33,534. The remainder was paid by 73 parishioner donors through a fundraising drive led by the Parish Green Committee.




Figure 1 Figure 1 Solar System at School of Our Lady of the Rosary Church



Figure 2 Panels on the Roof at School of Our Lady of the Rosary Church

The installation was completed on December 31, 2014. In the first year of operation, the church saved $6,055 in electricity bills. The savings will continue each year and will increase as energy costs increase in the (at least) 25 years of system life.
In early 2015, the parish considered the development of a solar system at St. Albert the Great. SunWork Renewable Energy Projects was again the contractor. Again, a plan to raise the required funds was conceived that relied solely on contributions from parishioners.
The system is pictured in two photos below. The panels are situated on the school that is adjacent to the church. The design consists of 126 solar panels producing 35 kilowatts (DC) of power. The system produces 60 percent of the electricity required by the church and associated school. The cost of the system was $68,916. A significant portion of the cost was provided by a rebate from Palo Alto Utilities, namely $39,375. The remainder was paid by 64 parishioner donors through a fundraising drive led by the Parish Green Committee. The installation was completed on January 5, 2016. The annual projected savings is at least $7,500 for each of the 25 years of the system life. The savings will increase as the cost of electricity increases.
The parish owns the two systems and the energy they produce.


Figure 3 Solar System at School of St Albert the Great Church



Figure 4 Work Crew at St Albert the Great Church Solar System