State College Church Powered by Clean Energy: PennEnvironment hosts Rep. Paul Takac and Envinity for tour of University Mennonite Church’s solar array and heat pump

State College, PA – Local officials and residents joined leaders from University Mennonite Church and the nonprofit environmental group PennEnvironment for an informative tour of the church’s innovative solar project. The tour was held to educate State College residents about the benefits of solar energy and how they can go solar if interested.

“There’s never been a better time for houses of worship to use the power of the sun to electrify their congregations,” said Hanna Felber, organizer for PennEnvironment. “Plentiful sunshine and generous solar incentives are here. Now is a critical time for more congregations in Pennsylvania to take advantage of them.” 

PennEnvironment, Rep. Paul Takac, and local residents tour the University Mennonite Church’s solar array and heat pumpPhoto by TPIN | TPIN

In 2023, the University Mennonite Church embarked on an initiative to make the church net zero. Phase one entailed working with Envinity to install a 27.75 kW rooftop solar array large enough to produce 46,800 kWh of clean energy. This is not only saving the church money on its utility bills, but the array also eliminates tons of carbon emissions annually. 

And University Mennonite didn’t stop there. In 2024 the church completed phase two of their clean energy initiative, installing a heat pump. Heat pumps are more energy efficient, cost effective, and environmentally friendly than traditional heating systems, producing zero direct emissions.

”I’m pleased to have PennEnvironment host this public meeting to showcase our church Creation Care Committee’s efforts in adding solar energy and heat pumps to reduce our energy consumption,” said University Mennonite Church Treasurer Jim Rosenberger. “We have already reduced our energy cost by more than 50%.”

Both the solar array and the heat pump will deliver significant savings to the University Mennonite Church on their monthly electricity bill. Other religious institutions that want to follow suit have the added benefit of new clean energy rebates that can dramatically lower the price tag for their congregations to go solar and install heat pumps.

“Through a power purchase agreement provided by Envinity’s financing arm, Daybreak Capital, Envinity was able to assist the church in taking advantage of the various incentives while providing certainty on their electricity rates through 2029,” said Envinity Representative Cameron Willison. “We applaud the members of the University Mennonite Church for their community leadership and responsibility towards our environment with these efforts in reducing their carbon footprint.”

Solar energy is abundant, efficient and increasingly affordable, and houses of worship often are great candidates for rooftop solar panels. While people may frequent these buildings less during the week, their panels will still generate power that churches can sell back to utility companies. And come prayer services and other activities offered by religious institutions, churches and other congregations can also stand to benefit from the clean power and lower utility bills.

Beyond the financial benefits, solar panels increase a community’s energy resilience during extreme weather events. Solar panels and batteries can be independent from the grid, meaning the lights stay on during power outages–a quality especially critical for houses of worship that provide shelter during emergencies. 

“Solar power has long been an environmentally friendly option, but it is now also one of the most economical,” stated Pennsylvania State Representative Paul Takac. “As electricity prices rise and demand increases, clean, reliable, and affordable solar solutions benefit not just individuals but entire communities.”

Right now, Pennsylvania is currently ranked 26th in the nation for solar power. Church leaders hope that their array can inspire other houses of worship across Pennsylvania to follow their lead and get their power from above too, so Pennsylvania can turn into a solar leader.

PennEnvironment is holding events like this throughout the state to help spread the word about the benefits of switching to renewable energy so that more houses of worship, nonprofits, businesses, and individuals can invest in a clean energy future too.