Assumption Unveils New Solar Panels

On Friday afternoon, the Rev. Michal Matveenko, pastor of the Church of the Assumption, led a group of parishioners, grammar school students, investors and engineers onto a patio outside the facility overlooking a field where several rows of solar panels stood.  

It was there that the school announced the completion of a 655.2-kilowatt ground mounted solar power system.

The system, located on the grounds of the Church of the Assumption in Galloway is the first of its kind in the region.  

The facility, which contains both a school and a church, will now receive 90 percent of its power from the new system over the next 25 years.

According to estimates by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the solar power system will cut down on emissions of nearly 600 tons of carbon dioxide annually. This number is equivalent to taking 2,600 cars off of New Jersey’s roads or planting 2,500 acres of trees.

“I just feel so good about what we’re doing,” Matveenko said before leading the benediction ceremony. "Not only will this benefit the Earth but it will also get us substantial savings on our energy costs.”

According to Matveenko, Calvi Electric Company approached Assumption about the project back in November 2009.  

After overcoming many engineering obstacles, the church formed a relationship with Solar Funding LLC and was able to come to a purchasing agreement, which got construction underway.

“Since the dawn of alternative forms of power I’ve always been very much interested in trying to do our part with energy conservation,” said Matveenko.  “As a Christian community we have a responsibility to care for God’s creation."

Matveenko says he hopes to see other local religious communities take part in ecological concerns.

“I’m really surprised that more churches, synagogues, mosques… [haven’t looked] into this yet,” he said. “Maybe this will be the beginning of more religious affiliated groups doing things like this."

“It’s certainly the way of the future,” he added.