News > St. Mark’s Lutheran Church embraces solar energy

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church embraces solar energy

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October 10, 2024

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Delaware, Ohio has served its community for more than 200 years. Since 2023 they have powered their mission with the help of solar energy. They are one of a growing number of faith communities turning to solar power with stewardship and savings in mind.

Louis Iverson, a congregant and retired ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service, serves as chair of the St. Mark’s Stewardship Committee. The committee oversees both the environmental and financial health of the church. For years Louis saw solar as an excellent way to accomplish both goals.

Iverson is a solar homeowner himself. He has seen the benefits of producing his own energy firsthand. He floated the idea of installing an array at the church, but struggled to gain traction.

Churches like St. Mark’s are tax-exempt. ​​This means they can’t directly benefit from federal solar tax credits. Members of the congregation liked the idea of going solar. Without the aid of federal incentives the project felt out of reach.

This changed in 2022 with the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The legislation created a way for tax-exempt entities like St. Mark’s to receive a direct payment in place of a tax credit. “That was pretty critical,” Louis said. “We got going on this because of that 30 percent sale. That was one of the huge components to the package.”

The opportunity to reduce the cost of a solar installation through these incentives reopened the conversation. “It was unanimous in the [church] council and almost unanimous when it went to the congregation. It was like 97 percent. All in favor of it. And so we were excited to launch this.”

The church borrowed money from their building fund to finance part of the installation. It also created a program where congregants could sponsor an individual panel. This covered a third of the 112 panels they went on to purchase. The church worked with a local installer who outfitted their roof with a 49 kilowatt (kW) system designed to meet all of their energy needs.

Through the direct pay program, the church will receive a 30 percent rebate of $35,000. It plans to use a portion of the savings to make additional energy efficiency upgrades throughout the building. Programmable thermostats and high-efficiency mini-splits are priorities.

The money St. Mark’s is saving on their electric bill has reduced strain across their annual budget. Producing their own power means they have been able to redistribute funds towards programs that benefit the community, including food donations and youth summer camps.

In addition to the practical financial benefits, the solar system supports the church’s mission of creation-care. “We’re saving huge amounts of carbon emissions. We’re doing what we can for the changing climate. [We’re] being God’s stewards to His creation and taking care of what we have here,” shared Louis. “This is a really great way to make some kind of an impact locally too.” 

St. Mark’s hopes to set an example and encourage others to pursue solar for themselves. “This is such a win, win, win situation. Every church should be doing this. Every nonprofit should be doing this. Take advantage of this sale.” Whether you’re a curious homeowner or organization, Louis thinks solar is worth looking into. “It just makes so much sense economically without [even] talking about stewardship.” 

Achieving a net-zero energy bill in their first year of production has St. Mark’s excited about the future. Producing their own energy will allow them to better serve their congregation and community in the years to come. Louis is thankful for the incentives that made this possible. “Gaining enough support without the IRA? I think it would have been a long shot.” If you’d like to learn more about going solar and how you can take advantage of incentives, download SUN’s Go Solar guide.