A few weeks before February‘s General Synod, a friend asked if I could find out more about the use of solar panels on church buildings, so I submitted a question about the Church of England‘s policy on the installation of solar panels on church roofs for heating water or for generating electricity. I also spoke with David Shreeve.

The answers I received were very positive about exploring the potential use of buildings such as church halls, farms, rectories, vicarages and other church owned housing. Some of you may remember the debate we had in General
Synod in 2005 about climate change, which lead to the launch the next year of the Shrinking the Footprint campaign.

If you are interested in finding out more about using solar energy, specifically the use of solar panels either for generating electricity or for heating water, the best place to start is the Shrinking the Footprint website: www.shrinkingthefootprint.org

I would also recommend reading the report Sharing God‘s Planet, published by Church House Publishing.

If you wish to speak to someone about using solar panels, the Executive Team of Shrinking the Footprint includes David Shreeve (Environmental Advisor), Ruth Watkinson (Environmental Policy Manager), Rachel Harden (Communications) and Charles Reed (Development Advisor). I am sure any of these good people would be delighted to help!

For generations we have plundered the earth‘s finite resources to get the fuel we need. I love the idea that, increasingly, we will be able to harness the huge, virtually inexhaustible, power of our sun.

Christina Rees, St Albans