Watts-Willowbrook Church of Christ now serves as a beacon of clean energy education and resilience, with hopes of providing critical services during electrical outages, heatwaves, or unhealthy air quality days.
Watts-Willowbrook Church of Christ, known as “The Brook,” located at 13204 Mona Blvd. in Compton, in collaboration with RE-volv and California Interfaith Power & Light (CIPL), celebrated the commissioning of their new 12-kW rooftop solar and upcoming battery storage installation on Saturday, June 29.
The church’s move to adopt solar energy aims to alleviate financial strains, build community resilience, and bolster local clean energy projects and advocacy efforts.
The celebration included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a speaking program featuring remarks from the Compton Mayor Emma Sharif, and a resiliency workshop. The mayor presented two awards, recognizing The Brook and Ms. Linda Cleveland, long time community activist and church secretary, for their environmental leadership and contributions.
“While there is significant clean air and energy progress underway in South Central LA, more work needs to be done to educate community members on its benefits and how solar and other clean energy technologies are accessible to them today,” said Jacquelyn Badejo, chair of the Climate Emergency Mobilization Commission, City of Los Angeles.
“Since The Brook church uniquely serves three neighboring communities, it is the perfect home base to spread awareness, educate, and accelerate local clean energy adoption.”
During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Compton Mayor Emma Sharif stated, “This is a significant moment for our community and for the future of Compton.”
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Leticia Vasquez Wilson, Central Basin Water Board Director, on behalf of Laura Richardson, former US Representative and community activist, followed by explaining, “The installation of solar panels at the Watts-Willowbrook Church of Christ represents more than just a move towards renewable energy – it represents hope, resilience, and progress for our community.”
With solar energy, the church is set to save $184,033 on electricity costs over the next 20 years, thanks in part to the direct pay, also known as elective pay, provision available through the Inflation Reduction Act. This provision allows tax-exempt organizations to receive 30% or more in cash back on the cost of a solar system. A grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation supported RE-volv bringing their innovative solar finance model to The Brook, allowing them to go solar for zero down and start saving on their energy bills on day one. Additionally, their solar system will allow The Brook to avoid emitting 646,378 lbs of CO2 emissions over the lifetime of the system, equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 350 acres of trees every year.
“The solar installation at the Watts-Willowbrook Church of Christ is an excellent example of how the Biden-Harris Administration is helping community-based institutions, especially in communities of color, make clean energy upgrades that reduce costs and lead to quality-of-life improvements. The Elective Pay tool in the Inflation Reduction Act continues to be a game-changer,” said Ronald Newman, senior advisor, IRA Implementation, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Andreas Karelas, executive director of RE-volv, highlighted, “Recent data suggests that when a nonprofit or house of worship goes solar, you can expect up to 80 residences in the area to follow suit over the next five years.” Karelas expresses gratitude for The Brook’s leadership and their commitment to educating community members about clean energy and community resilience.
The solar and soon-to-be battery storage system yields significant benefits beyond producing clean, affordable power. With support from CIPL, WATTSKANDA consulted the community during the resiliency workshop to customize their emergency services, including air filtration on unhealthy air quality days and air conditioning during heatwaves. The event also provided resources for residents, churches, and nonprofits interested in adopting solar energy, leveraging federal tax credits and funding opportunities through the Inflation Reduction Act.
“Our partnership with The Brook highlights the core mission of CIPL – to help faith communities take bold and just climate action”, said Bekah Estrada, Southern California Director of California Interfaith Power & Light. “The church’s new solar system will lower their carbon emissions and help save money, while building the foundation for a resilience hub in Compton.”
RE-volv, in partnership with Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) and Green the Church, with support from NREL‘s Solar Energy Innovation Network, recently developed an initiative to bring solar to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)-led Houses of Worship. The Brook is the first completed project of the initiative.
“The Wells Fargo Foundation is pleased to see that our support of RE-volv’s work is playing a key role in making this project happen,” said John Moon, senior vice president and sustainability philanthropy lead for Wells Fargo. “Accessing the direct pay provision from the IRA is a game-changer for non-profits and community organizations to be able to access affordable clean energy solutions and support community resiliency.”
