LHCS is now generating solar power! We’ve been “on the grid” for about a week and we have already generated enough to power four homes (even with winter sunlight hours). Some may wonder why we are doing this? Although this project will earn a small profit in years to come, the reason is bigger than this, and has to do with stewardship and modeling creation care to our students and neighbours.
As Wayne Miedema (Ad Hoc Solar committee member) summed it up so succinctly at our last membership meeting, it all begins in Genesis when God said “Let there be light”, and He created light and sand and copper … and created people in His image with the imagination and creativity to do beautiful and helpful things with the resources that He has made.
Through our participation in the Solar City project, a partnership of the City of Kitchener, CREW (Community Renewable Energy Waterloo), Mennonite Central Committee and Greening Sacred Spaces. We received technical support, encouragement and grant money to help make this project a reality.
Our installation includes a web based monitoring system which allows us to track generation hourly, daily, weekly…. There is a public site you can visit to view our system. Here’s the link: https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/public/systems/QhBp163210
Each day at LHCS, we teach our students that God is the Lord of all of creation; this is one more way for us to teach our students that truth, and to model our commitment to creation care to our students, our neighbours and our community. This brings us a little closer to our vision… As a diverse community KWCSS intentionally engages God’s world, locally and globally, through distinctive educational programming, strategic partnerships and sustainable growth.
Ian Timmerman is principal of Laurentian Hills Christian School.