What's Happening in Ashland, VA…

The Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church in Ashland is working with Virginia Dominion Power to supply power to the utility company by installing solar panels on its roof.

It plans to install more than 200 panels at a cost of $220,000. These are expected to generate 220 kilowatts of energy from the sun on a daily basis, resulting in a total of 81,000 kilowatts produced over a year.

According to the chairman of the architecture team of the church, Ray Martin, the church felt that to be good stewards to the community, it was something it needed to do.

There were incentives for the project; nonprofits get paid by Dominion to install solar panels so they can get their electricity, while at the same time being able to contribute to the ability of the company to offer power options to its customers.

Money for the project was part of other capital projects for Duncan Memorial, which also included renovating the lobby area and the first and second floors of the building. Martin commented that although the solar panels help the church, they also benefit the community.

Duncan Memorial and Dominion may want to also collaborate on printing services to create mailers that can be sent out to those in the area describing the benefits of solar power and encouraging people to choose this alternative energy source.