Solis Partners has announced that it recently completed the installation of a 77-kilowatt, ground-mounted solar array for Our Lady of Good Counsel in the West Trenton section of Ewing Township, N.J. This project marks Solis' fifth completed solar installation within the Catholic Diocese of Trenton, which spans Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties.

The solar array, which was installed on a 20,000-square-foot area of the parish's grounds will offset 90 percent of the church's annual electricity usage.

The system will produce approximately 82,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, which will offset approximately 2.8 million pounds of CO2 emissions throughout the life of the system, the annual equivalent of powering 12 residential homes, planting 1,320 trees or removing 10 cars from the road.

"Installing on-site solar is a terrific way for churches to lower their operating costs," said Jamie Hahn, co-founder and managing director of Manasquan, N.J.-based Solis Partners.

"It enables the parish to lower monthly utility bills and serves as a hedge against future rate increases. By reducing these costs, churches can reallocate funds towards programs that serve the parish community. We congratulate Our Lady of Good Counsel for installing solar and applaud their commitment to the environment."

Solis Partners designs, constructs and operates solar power systems through its full- service Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The Solis PPA allows the church to receive all the benefits of solar electric generation without any capital cost.

In addition to Our Lady of Good Counsel's solar installation, Solis Partners has installed solar energy systems for the Church of the Resurrection in Delran, NJ; the Church of the Assumption in Wrightstown, NJ; Saint Theresa's Church in Little Egg Harbor, NJ; and Saint Mary's Church in Colts Neck, NJ.