Order of Carmelites Retreat Center and Whitefriars Hall
Catholic Organization: Society of Mount Carmel, PCM Province of the Order of Carmelites
Location: Order of Carmelites Retreat Center, Darien IL and Whitefriars Hall, Washington DC
Leadership: Fr. Bill Harry, Prior Provincial; Dave Semmens O. Carm.
Timing: Fall 2019
Opportunities:
Dave Semmens O. Carm, Chair of the Carmelites’ Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Commission saw the need for the Order to focus on climate change; provincial leadership was supportive of that stewardship
They had properties in Illinois and Washington DC, both of which had solar policies in place to encourage solar development
Ryan Anderson, Director of Facilities Management, had already undergone numerous energy efficiency projects; solar use could add additional benefits to those projects
Challenges:
No organizational knowledge within the Society for developing a solar project
Needed local knowledge to assist the needs and considerations in multiple locations
Did not want to spend upfront capital on paying for the projects
Implementation:
Dave Semmens and Catholic Energies began the collaboration followed by provincial leadership
Financial and energy models were created and evaluated to optimize the system size, incentives, and savings
Catholic Energies services included the following:
Explored various financial and design model options to find the best solution
Found the investor and secured the capital that paid for the entire construction for both the IL and DC installations
Vetted and helped select the local solar contractors
Helped the Society negotiate the Power Purchase Agreement with the investor
Served as Project Manager for both installations
Results:
A roof top installation in IL and a ground array installation in DC completed December 2019
No out of pocket costs were required by the Society
Reduced power costs at both locations
Now have very visible examples of the Society’s commitment to climate change mitigation and environmental stewardship
