Catholic Energies Is on a Mission to Bring “Laudato Si'” to Life

Aleteia ^ | 8/9/19 | J-P Mauro

[marshmallow]

The company that has already made an impact in Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. is planning to expand.

Catholic Energies is a non-profit group that has made it their mission to provide cheap, renewable sources of power to Catholic communities. Although they’ve only been around for a couple of years, they’ve already made a big impact on the East Coast and now they’re planning to expand their project, with the goal of taking it nationwide.

Launched in 2017 by parent organization Catholic Climate Covenant (CCC), Catholic Energies has already completed several projects, the grandest of which is a 5,000-panel solar installation in Washington, D.C. When it’s completed, in early 2020, the solar energy system will provide electricity for 12 Catholic Charities-owned properties and will cut their power bills by nearly 80%.

Catholic Energies explains that approximately 70% of church building ownership costs are in operations and capital expenditures. By freeing up the majority of these expenses with renewable energy, their work allows more money to be put into charitable works. Dan Misleh, the executive director of the Catholic Climate Covenant, told Kevin Christopher Robles of America Magazine:

“It essentially takes away the cost of electricity for all Catholic Charities buildings. It lowers their rate to about two cents per kilowatt-hour, from about 11 cents per kilowatt-hour. Those savings then can go into the core mission of Catholic Charities: to shelter the homeless, to feed the hungry [and] to provide other services …”

[E. Pluribus Unum]

What’s the ROI?

Negative, I bet.