A famous Irish blessing runs, \u201cMay the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields.
\nAnd until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The leaders of St. Patrick Catholic Parish in North Park proved they have taken this message to heart \u2014 especially the passage about the worth of the sun shining warm upon the Uptown residents they serve.<\/p>\n
The church grounds now feature recently installed solar power panels to generate energy for the church\u2019s facilities.<\/p>\n Father Michael McFadden is an Augustinian priest and lead pastor at St. Patrick Catholic Parish. Previously, he spent around a decade as a teacher, and another decade serving in Central American refugee camps. He was transferred to the St. Patrick assignment nearly five years ago, after serving another parish in Ventura County.<\/p>\n It was at the Ventura Parish that McFadden became interested in use of solar power.<\/p>\n \u201cThis really makes sense,\u201d he said, and he was instrumental in acquiring three or four grants supporting installation of 72 panels for the facilities, for which the parish paid out an additional $75,000. The savings in energy bills began immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cIn any parish, money is not the most plentiful thing,\u201d McFadden said wryly.<\/p>\n He brought that wise sensibility into planning a similar project in his current parish at St. Patrick. McFadden describes the tandem problems here, however, are a relatively poor parish and only limited grants now available to offset costs of putting solar panels in place. One option was a lease agreement with a solar power provider, which would retain ownership and maintenance responsibilities.<\/p>\n McFadden chose instead for St. Patrick to buy the church its own solar generation equipment. He began saving up for the project, found grant money, and the church ended up paying $119,000 to Sullivan Solar Power for purchasing two arrays. One set of panels tops a new carport over the blacktop that doubles as a playground on weekdays and church parking area on weekends. The other array is installed atop the preschool-kindergarten building of the church\u2019s school.<\/p>\n The project took about a year, starting in November 2013, with completion last December. McFadden estimates the project will cut the church\u2019s electricity bills by 60 percent. Before the panels, the church had been paying about $2,000 per summer month and $1,200-1,500 monthly during winter. For the first month since the solar panel installation, which is the first bill available for comparison, the church paid $600. McFadden estimates the project will pay for itself within eight years.<\/p>\n \u201cThis really is about three prongs,\u201d McFadden said. \u201cOne, this is good for the environment. The Pope speaks highly of relating well to the earth, and we are supposed to be good stewards, taking care of it. Second, this saves dollars and promotes efficiency. Running a school, as we do, is expensive. This saves money for other church uses. And I believe this sets a good example for the community to embrace the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n Why Sullivan Solar Power? Parishioner Steve Lachtman had had a good experience with Sullivan\u2019s installation of solar panels at his nearby home, and Lachtman gave a recommendation. Moreover, McFadden said he discovered that Sullivan had a very good reputation.<\/p>\n Daniel Sullivan, founder and president of Sullivan Solar Power, described the history of dealing with St. Patrick Catholic Church as beginning with exploratory discussions about four years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cThe current price of solar and the large California Solar Initiative rebate of $23,738\u00a0helped St. Patrick Catholic Parish make solar pencil out,\u201d Sullivan noted. \u201cFather Michael\u2019s inspiration started this project. He saw solar as a smart financial decision for the parish and something that was important to do for the environment. St. Patrick received multiple bids before signing a contract with Sullivan Solar Power in February 2014.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about special elements or unique considerations in this particular project, Sullivan replied, \u201cSt. Patrick Catholic Parish didn\u2019t want to install solar on the church\u2019s roof, so we designed a solar carport in their parking lot and a second solar array on the roof of the school. The solar helps offset bills for both the church and school.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNorth Park is a perfect location for solar power,\u201d he added. \u201cThere is an abundance of sunshine and clear blue skies without marine layer nearly year-round. San Diego is America\u2019s top solar city per capita, per Environment America\u2019s 2014 Shining Cities report.\u201d<\/p>\n This project was Sullivan Solar Power\u2019s first installation for a Catholic church. (The company performed earlier installations for St. Bartholomew\u2019s Episcopal Church in Poway, Mission Valley Church of the Nazarene in San Diego and Paradise Valley Seventh-Day Adventist Church in National City.) Sullivan said the 26,965-watt solar shade structure and roof-mounted solar power system will assist St. Patrick Catholic Parish in saving an estimated $160,871 over the next 20 years, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2.2 million pounds.<\/p>\n Daniel Sullivan is a master electrician by trade, who by late 2000 had become intrigued by solar power as a solution for spiraling energy problems. He started his company in 2004, on \u201ca leap of faith with an old beat up Ford Ranger, set of tools and only $2,500 in the bank.\u201d For the first year, Sullivan worked and slept out of a customer\u2019s garage. Today, the enterprise has 100 employees, more than 60 trucks, and satellite offices in Orange County and the Inland Empire, serving all of Southern California. The company foresees closing 2015 with over $50 million in sales. For five consecutive years, Inc. Magazine has ranked Sullivan Solar Power as one of the fastest growing energy companies in the nation.<\/p>\n Father Michael McFadden isn\u2019t done yet with his commitment to recycling and energy efficiency. His next plan is to cool the St. Patrick Church sanctuary, built in 1925, with state-of-the-art commercial fans.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is financial, practical and a theological commitment of the heart,\u201d McFadden said of the energy efficiency projects he\u2019s championed.<\/p>\n The solar plans don\u2019t stop there though. During the spring, Tara Kelly, deputy director of community development with Sullivan, will assist with designing simple age-appropriate lessons for the church school\u2019s kindergarteners. The studies should be interesting, if the youngsters\u2019 early responses are an indicator. When the children\u2019s teacher gave an introductory overview of how some energy sources are being depleted but the sun\u2019s light and warmth are energy that can be used for people, one child asked, \u201cWhat happens when we use it all up and there is no more sun?\u201d<\/p>\n For the middle-schoolers, the church school\u2019s lead science teacher, Hernan Valdivia, will partner with Kelly for solar science-technology-robotics lessons related to participation in the Junior Solar Sprint, a racing competition of vying student-designed and built, solar-powered model cars, which is usually held during the first weekend in June.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was an investment in time, money and energy,\u201d McFadden said. \u201cWe\u2019re glad we did it.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Father-Michael-McFadden-School-Studentsweb.jpg\")
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was at his previous parish in Ventura County. (Photo by B.J. Coleman)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n