Green Bay Nuns Will Activate $250K Solar Farm On Thursday

The Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross in Green Bay plan to activate a large solar power installation on Thursday.

The Catholic nuns have had crews putting up 416 stationary solar panels on the grounds of the order’s religious community. Community president Donna Koch said the project meets their Franciscan values.

“St. Francis of Assisi is like our patron,” said Koch. “St. Francis was a great lover of creation and nature and all people. Our values really center around that.”

The solar farm being switched on Thursday may be the largest operated by any Wisconsin religious institution. The $250,000 needed for the project came from both private and public sources, including a $74,000 grant from the state’s ratepayer-funded Focus On Energy program

Sister Rose Jochmann said other religious communities considering a big solar project should be mindful of cost.

“Probably the largest obstacle is the cost,” she said. “But solar in the last five to six years has come down considerably, and in the end, the resources came through.”

Jochman said the solar panels and wiring are set up to produce electricity for buildings operated by the Sisters of St. Francis. If there’s excess electricity, it will be sold back to the local power company.

The sisters are hoping their solar power farm will last at least 25 years and cut their utility costs 30 percent.