Second Congregation in Georgia Goes Solar with GIPL and Georgia BRIGHT

Nov 19

Statesboro, Ga. — Last week, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Statesboro (UUFS) became the second faith community in Georgia to complete a solar installation with Georgia BRIGHT—a first-of-its-kind solar leasing program designed to help low to moderate-income communities cut power bills and carbon emissions. UUFS follows Trinity Episcopal Church, also in Statesboro, which completed a solar installation with Georgia BRIGHT in August 2024.

As part of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light’s (GIPL) Solar-Wise program, UUFS explored various solar options but ultimately chose Georgia BRIGHT and their Solar-Energy-Procurement-Agreement (SEPA) because of affordability, and maintenance and repair benefits.

“We have wanted Solar for a while now as we seek to live more fully into our values of caring for the Earth,” says Rev. Dr. Jane Page, Minister at UUFS. “We are thrilled to have worked with GIPL and Georgia BRIGHT to achieve this goal. We challenge other faith communities to join us and our neighbors at Trinity Episcopal in this effort”

The 4.8kW System at UUFS was installed by Sunpath Solar and is expected to offset 76 percent of their energy needs and save the congregation $9,000 over 25 years.

“The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Statesboro is a great example of how congregations with low initial energy consumption can benefit from solar and offset most of their usage with clean energy,” says Hannah Shultz, GIPL Program Director. “Churches who install solar become models of sustainability and energy independence for their neighbors”

The UUFS solar system will offset 107 tons of carbon dioxide over the next quarter century. This is equivalent to planting 1,611 trees.

“The quick response of churches provided essential support to people impacted by Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Debby,” says Georgia BRIGHT director Alicia Brown. “By increasing access to solar for churches like the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Statesboro, Georgia BRIGHT is reducing energy costs and freeing up more resources for them to serve their community.”

Georgia BRIGHT is run by the national nonprofit, Capital Good Fund. The program is made possible thanks to the generous support of partners including Candide Group’s Afterglow Climate Justice Fund and because the Inflation Reduction Act allows nonprofits to use tax credits to reduce the cost of solar panels for low to moderate-income homeowners.

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Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that inspires and equips communities of faith to organize, implement practical climate solutions, and advocate across Georgia on issues of climate change, environmental justice, and community resilience. An affiliate of the national Interfaith Power and Light movement, GIPL envisions a Georgia where all people can flourish in a healthy environment, a stable climate, and resilient communities.

Capital Good Fund is a nonprofit, U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution that uses financial services to tackle poverty and environmental injustice in America. Capital Good Fund created the Georgia BRIGHT solar leasing program that offers residential and commercial rooftop solar and solar plus battery storage leases and power purchase agreements to homeowners making less than $100,000 a year and mission-aligned organizations across the state. It also offers solar financing, low-interest loans, and one-on-one financial coaching in eleven states, including Georgia. Since their founding in 2009, they have financed more than 16,000 loans and leases totaling over $48 million with a 97% repayment rate and graduated over 2,000 people from their Coaching program. Learn more at GoodFund.us.