California’s oldest congregation supports Episcopal energy independence goals with solar array
Trinity St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California, recently added 47 solar panels to part of its roof. Photo: Trinity St. Peter’s
[Episcopal News Service] California’s oldest Episcopal congregation, founded in 1849, just became one of the newest churches to go green, with a 20-kilowatt solar array.
Trinity St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco on April 19 commissioned the 47 solar panels with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its 1893 building. The project was made possible through a partnership with RE-volv, which provided loan assistance, and California Interfaith Power & Light.
With the addition of renewable energy, the congregation expects to save more than $261,000 in electricity costs over the life of the installation while helping the wider Episcopal Church move closer to its goal of net carbon neutrality by 2030.
The congregation, in a news release announcing the solar array commissioning, noted it showed even 19th century buildings can be upgraded with 21st century clean energy technology. The savings are expected to be invested in social justice initiatives, including food insecurity programs and neighborhood cleanups. One such cleanup is already scheduled for April 22, Earth Day.
“Our church has been a constant in this neighborhood through every chapter of San Francisco’s history. Deciding to go solar ensures our doors remain open and our mission remains sustainable for the next century,” Mike Chambers, senior warden of Trinity St. Peter’s, said in the news release. “Freeing up these funds means we can focus less on overhead and more on our neighbors. We are proud to prove that a historic faith community can lead the way toward a more equitable world.”
The 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church voted in 2022 to work toward net carbon neutrality “through a combination of reducing emissions from travel, reducing energy use, increasing energy efficiency in buildings, and purchasing offsets from duly investigated, responsible, and ethical partners.”
That resolution also encouraged parishes, dioceses, schools, camps and other Episcopal institutions to set their own goals of net carbon neutrality. Episcopalians have responded to that call in a big way. Local investments in solar power have included Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church in Atlanta Georgia; St. Michael’s Episcopal Mission in Yakima, Washington; St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Brattleboro, Vermont; and the Diocese of East Tennessee’s headquarters in Knoxville.
Some dioceses have coordinated with congregations on more comprehensive plans, such as the Diocese of San Joaquin in central California, which has worked toward energy independence for about 20 faith communities through conversion to solar power.
In 2024, General Convention re-emphasized such work with a resolution that directed the church’s Executive Council to invest $315,000 during the current triennium, 2025-27, to bolster efforts to achieve the church’s goal of ending its dependence on fossil fuels.
Under Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, who took office in November 2024, one of the church’s primary creation care initiatives has been the development of the Episcopal Eco-Region Network Initiative through a partnership with the Center for Religion & Environment at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
General Convention endorsed the formation of eco-region networks in another 2024 resolution that focused on the need for collaboration on conservation, renewable energy and food-based ministries.
The first eco-region, the Grasslands Network, held an inaugural event in 2025 in Kansas. Its second gathering is planned for this May 1-2 in Amarillo, Texas. Other Episcopalians have followed the Grasslands Network’s lead to form several more eco-regions nationwide to foster collaboration between dioceses.
The San Francisco-based Diocese of California is in the early stages of partnering with the dioceses of El Camino Real and Northern California to form the Pacific Coastal Eco-Region Network. As that network is launched, it can take renewed inspiration from the recently completed solar project at Trinity St. Peter.
“Faith communities have a moral calling to lead on climate solutions,” Susan Stephenson, executive director of California Interfaith Power & Light, said in the church’s news release. “Trinity St. Peter’s is so inspiring because it’s a century-old sacred space that is manifesting what our clean energy future can be.”
– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.