Let there be light! Seneca Falls church goes solar

In the dog days of summer, the First Presbyterian Church has gone solar.

The project, years in the making, came to fruition in recent weeks with the installation of 137 solar panels in two locations: 111 on the roof of Eastman Hall behind the 23 Cayuga St. historic church building and 26 on the roof of the manse on State Street.

The genesis of the project began five years ago when the church’s pastor, the Rev. Leah Ntuala, read an article in a national Presbyterian publication about an Arizona church that had installed solar panels. She posted the article on the church’s Facebook page and invited comments.

Church member Jim Clark was among those whose interest was piqued and he and others started discussing and exploring the possibility. At first, they were drawn to the concept of a community-wide solar project that could provide energy to myriad entities and non-profits, but ultimately the church decided to go it alone.