St Michael and All Angels (Sunnyside) in Berkhamsted, has become the first Church in St Albans Diocese to use solar energy to generate electricity by installing 22 photovoltaic panels on the Church Hall Roof. The diocese of St Albans has backed the project with the personal endorsement of the Archdeacon of St Albans, the Venerable Jonathan Smith. He said: "This is an imaginative and sensitive way of putting into practice our desire to reduce the Church's carbon footprint. I hope others will be encouraged by this project." The scheme was designed and installed by local specialist contractor Chelsfield Solar and does not affect the overall front facing appearance of the Grade 2 listed church building.

The Sunnyside solar panels are a grid connected system where the solar electricity is used at the time of generation first by any electrical appliances that require electricity at that time. If the PV system is generating more electricity than the church requires then the excess is automatically exported to the National Grid. If the PV system is not producing enough electricity to cover your usage then any additional is pulled from the National Grid in the normal way.

Stephen Jenkins, the church Project Manager arranged a 50% government grant and the church is now the proud owner of a 4.6kWp Sanyo photovoltaic (PV) system.

www.sunnysidechurch.org.uk