BELMONT — Ground was broken earlier this month for a solar panel project that eventually will provide about a third of the power for the Sisters of Mercy campus off Mercy Drive in Belmont.
The solar panels will generate an estimated 920 megawatt hours of electricity annually, approximately 30% of the total electricity usage on the campus. This project is the only ground-mounted solar panel installation in Belmont.
Belmont Mayor Joe Jordan and city council member Jim Hefferan were present for the groundbreaking ceremony, along with Sister Judith Frikkerand, Sister Patricia Flynn and Sister Judith
Frikker, members of the Institute Leadership Team for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Other guests included representatives from Pisgah Energy, engineering firm McKim & Creed, several area ministries sponsored by the sisters, and local Sisters of Mercy.
“The solar panel project in Belmont is a significant step in working toward the commitment of the Sisters of Mercy to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045,” Sister Judith said. “We are excited to be taking this step on our campus.”
The Sisters of Mercy have long espoused care for the Earth as one of their five Critical Concerns, topics of particular importance to the congregation.
The groundbreaking took place after more than four years of effort, according to Jason Giovannettone, the congregation’s director of climate and sustainability,
“Right after I started with the community in October 2021, the leaders said they wanted to build a big solar project somewhere on one of the properties in the United States,” he said. “We looked at all of the properties, at how sunny those locations were, and California and North Carolina were at the top.”
On average, Belmont receives between 210 and 220 sunny days per year, according to statistics provided by the congregation.
Belmont was selected because building in California proved to be more challenging due to multi-layered local and state ordinances, he said. He noted that the sisters’ neighbors were also supportive of the project.
The solar panel project was designed by McKim & Creed, headquartered in Raleigh. Asheville-based Pisgah Energy managed the permitting process and will oversee the installation. The solar panels are manufactured by Hanwha Q Cells USA.
Construction was scheduled to begin on Jan. 12 and was expected to take six months. The solar panels will be ground mounted due to the limited flat and unobstructed roof space.
Approximately one acre of trees will be removed east of the solar array to prevent shading during morning hours. The Sisters of Mercy have committed to replanting trees in other locations and supporting reforestation efforts by other organizations to compensate.
Electricity generated above the daily amount needed by the campus, primarily during the summer months, may be sold back to Duke Energy.
The solar project will be the latest effort by the sisters to make their Belmont property more sustainable. A small solar array is located on the roof of the campus’s Heritage Center. To conserve water, low-flow showers and toilets have been installed, and the campus maintenance manager uses a system of sensors to let him know 24-7 if a water leak has occurred, because a quick responding can save massive amounts of water.
“That alone has saved the sisters a lot of water, and we’re going to try to see if other properties can do that,” Giovannettone said. “Every property is completely unique.”
Other sustainability efforts by the Sisters of Mercy nationwide have included slowly converting their vehicle fleet over to hybrids, encouraging properties to subscribe to community solar plans where they are offered, and using LED light bulbs.
— Christina Lee Knauss. Photos by Troy C. Hull
