Belleville Presbyterian Church education building goes solar

By Don Sherman
Van Buren Township
The solar energy basking Earth each hour exceeds all the energy consumed by industry and inhabitants for an entire year.
Given this and the availability of low-cost flat panels capable of converting sunshine to electricity, solar photovoltaic energy systems are becoming more common.
The local Presbyterian Church, whose existence dates back nearly a century, is a recent adopter of this advanced technology.
In 1930, Henry Ford built what’s known as a Martha-Mary chapel at his Willow Run camp to provide a worship location for orphaned teens. After serving church goers through World War II, this chapel was moved to its present location in 1979.
To update the 11900 Belleville Rd. property for the 21st century, a modern solar system was recently installed on the roof of the adjoining Christian Education (CE) building.
South-facing roofs are best for maximum electricity generation. The south side of the CE buildings system is also highly visible from Belleville Road to draw inquisitive souls to this location for worship.
Designed and installed by church member Steven Sherman (Solar Steve) who founded the solar enterprise Superior Energy, this system consists of a dozen solar panels arrayed in an attractive Z pattern.
Each Qcell panel produces 400 watts of energy when blessed by direct sunshine, totaling 4,800 watts. The innovative SkipRail brackets which secure the panels to the roof require 25% less than the normal number of attachments. An inverter converts direct current from the solar panels to alternating current to supply CE building needs. During times when the panel-produced electricity exceeds consumption, AC current is delivered to the DTE grid for credit.
Fitting the CE building with solar panels, installing wiring, and inspections by Van Buren Township and DTE for their approvals took more than two months. The system became active July 30.
Thanks to significant donations by Sherman, his electrician Jim Bates, Pegasus Solar, and Greentech Renewables, this system’s $2,700 cost was 70% lower than most residential installations. Church member donations covered half the components’ cost. Sherman expects that electricity bill savings will offset these costs in less than four years. His calculations also show that BPC’s solar system is equivalent to 2,810 trees planted or 255 barrels of oil not consumed.
A label prominently attached to this system’s electrical panel honors Rickard Schaefer, a church member and Vietnam veteran, who passed away May 3, shortly before construction commenced.