GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The addition of 280 solar panels at the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross in Green Bay came with a blessing from the bishop and a dedication ceremony.
“We are grateful to all of you who come to celebrate this event as we witness to our commitment to care for earth, to use less of her resources so that there will be more for future generations,” Sister Ann Rehrauer said to invited guests.
It’s been five years since the Sisters of Saint Francis of the Holy Cross introduced their first solar panel initiative.
“It’s been over $60,000 to this point over the five years we’ve saved on electrical energy,” said Sister Rose Jochmann.
She says the new panels are much more efficient than the 416 panels installed in 2014.
The ceremony included prayer and a song.
Jochmann shared what makes her most proud over the past few years.
“We’ve spread the message about the solar project. We’ve had a number of presentations. We’ve reached at least 500 people through presentations,” she said.
Jochmann says saving energy wouldn’t be possible without donations and grants.
“We received two grants. One from Focus on Energy and one from RENEW Wisconsin – the Solar for Good project and that gave us about a third of the cost for the project.”
She says for now, the sisters don’t have plans to add anymore panels but conservation efforts will continue.
“To try to reduce our use of electricity and use our solar energy.”
The sisters say the solar array produces 50% of the electricity used in the convent.
Self-guided tours are available.
The path is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday from May to October, according to the sisters.
