Power of God? Churches urged to cash in with solar panels on roofs

CHURCHES and mosques could raise up to £34 million a year by installing solar panels on their roofs, an electricity supplier has claimed.

British Gas urged religious groups to make the most of the new feed-in tariff, a scheme that pays households and organisations for electricity from their small-scale generators.

It calculated that religious centres could generate 29 million from feed-in tariff payments, and could save a further 5 million on electricity bills by generating their own power from solar panels.

Installing the renewable energy technology would also help religious organisations save up to 42,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, according to British Gas's green streets programme.

Phil Bentley, managing director of British Gas, said: "Religious buildings are particularly well suited to solar power as they tend to have large south-facing roofs which receive direct sunlight for the main part of the day.

"These potential savings are great news for the UK's religious buildings and their congregations and give them the opportunity to lead their communities in tackling climate change and helping Britain move towards a low-carbon society."

The feed-in tariff system was introduced in April by the UK Government.

It gives energy suppliers a duty to pay households and organisations if they generate their own electricity using solar panels, wind turbines or other forms of small-scale renewables.

As well as being paid a set rate for each unit of electricity generated, extra cash is paid for power that is exported into the grid rather than being used on site.

Mr Bentley said: "The Government's feed-in tariff scheme is the key to unlocking the potential of solar power in Britain."

Some churches in Scotland have started using green energy technology.

The new Bankfoot Church Centre in Perthshire, built after fire destroyed the previous 19th century building, is kitted out with wind turbines and a ground source heat pump.

The entire building has the same carbon footprint as a two-bedroom bungalow.

In the Borders, kirk elders have said they have plans to install solar panels on the roof of Selkirk Parish Church.

It has been estimated the technology could save the 130-year-old church 1,000 a year on utility bills.

British Gas's green streets programme features 14 communities competing to save and generate the most green energy with funding from British Gas - with the winners scooping a 100,000 prize for their local area.

British Gas estimates that if all 16,247 Church of England churches in the UK - many of which point east and have large south-facing roofs as a result - were to install solar panels they could save almost 2.8 million on bills and make more than 17 million from feed-in tariffs.

St Silas Church in Pentonville, London, has covered most of its south-facing roof with solar photovoltaic tiles which are designed to blend into the surrounding roof and to generate electricity.

In Birmingham, the Masjid-e-Hamza Mosque, part of the green streets scheme in Mosley, aims to benefit from feed-in tariffs by installing solar panels.

The mosque expects to be 6,400 a year better off as a result of the solar panels - and will use energy created to heat water used in the Muslim practice of ritual washing known as Wudu.

Government statistics yesterday showed about 100,000 UK homes and organisations have installed small-scale renewablez