As reported by The Salt Lake Tribune in multiple stories this year, Rocky Mountain Power and Utah politicians have been working aggressively to keep coal-fired power plants in service beyond scheduled closing dates over the next five years. The earlier plans had called for an end to coal as a fuel for electricity before the end of 2030. Additionally, the utility recently announced plans to raise rates by 30% over 18 months.
Utah has a unique asset that could enable it to accelerate rather than slow its transition to renewable energy while simultaneously reducing the cost of energy. The state has a large number of churches, which sit under some of the best sunshine in the country.
Utah’s religious leaders generally acknowledge a duty of stewardship to the Earth and the people who inhabit it, including those living in low-income countries who suffer the most from climate change’s current and increasing impact. Religious leaders who don’t get excited about climate solutions do find zeal for serving impoverished people around the world.
As the Tribune reported at the time, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began building meetinghouses with solar panels in 2010. Other denominations have also done so, including the St. Thomas More Catholic Parish in Cottonwood Heights, which added panels in 2014. Still, most church buildings in Utah do not; many solar incentives haven’t applied to nonprofits.
Leaders in the Legislature, public service commissions and municipalities should work with Rocky Mountain Power and the dozens of other power providers to incentivize church-owned buildings to use their rooftops to generate excess solar power paired with battery storage to effectively extend sunlight into the evening. Industrial electricity users could be key players in the complex algebra involved, agreeing to buy power coming from churches.
Ultimately, a serious collaboration could rapidly deploy solar panels on churches. With proper incentives for churches, the scale of solar energy production could reach into the thousands of megawatts — a sizable chunk of the 4,591 mW of coal-fired power plants.
We note the comparison is nominal, given that the sun doesn’t shine 24 hours per day, 365 days per year the way a power plant can produce power. That reality notwithstanding, these religious rooftops could be the key to enabling an acceleration rather than a deceleration of Utah’s transition away from coal. Church rooftops have the potential to generate several terawatt hours annually, making a huge contribution to replacing coal.
Churches don’t need to pay for solar panels from their balance sheets — nor do utilities. With church-specific incentives from the state or incumbent power producers, the energy savings and revenue from excess production at churches (many of which sit idle several days per week) could provide the cash flow to justify financing the installations. Almost by definition, every chapel is paired with a congregation that typically includes members capable of helping with the financing. Companies like CollectiveSun, Climatize and Raise Green specialize in helping crowds finance climate solutions.
By investing the time necessary to collaborate thoughtfully, religious, utility and policy leaders have an opportunity to create shared economic value with the potential to reduce increases in energy costs while moving the needle meaningfully on carbon emission reductions in Utah.
Jeb McCandless is a resident of Utah who, for 37 years, has lived in a home with passive solar features built in 1985, to which he added solar panels in 2017.
Jeb McCandless is a resident of Utah who, for 37 years, has lived in a home with passive solar features built in 1985, to which he added solar panels in 2017.
Devin Thorpe is an author, television producer and show host who ran for Congress in Utah’s 3rd District in 2020 on a platform that prioritized climate solutions.
Devin Thorpe is an author, television producer and show host who ran for Congress in Utah’s 3rd District in 2020 on a platform that prioritized climate solutions.
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