A new kind of fundraiser: Welsh church sells excess solar energy to government

LONDON (RNS) — An aging Anglican church in Wales has come up with a modern way to give – or at least sell – power to the people by marketing its spare electricity to Britain’s National Grid.

The power comes from the 30 solar panels that have been installed as part of a $1.5 million restoration at the crumbling, Victorian-era St. Joseph’s Church in Cwmaman, in the Cynon Valley.

Despite initial doubts from its pastor, David Way, the church has now discovered that the $66,000 array of panels are producing far more electricity than had been expected or needed. The church will now sell off the surplus “which will also generate an income for the church,” Way said.

Way was skeptical about the solar panels. “Cwmaman isn’t the sunniest place,” he conceded in an interview with the BBC, “and I was concerned we were going to spend all this money and get no return.”

St. Joseph’s is now going to sell the spare voltage to the National Grid, Way said.