Wolfe County church installs solar power system

80 solar panels now sit on top of Campton Baptist Church in Wolfe County.

"These panels have zero carbon footprint. We also plan to switch our church to geo thermal heating and cooling," said member Zach Collier.

The project was sponsored and installed by volunteers from Sonlight Power, a charitable organization based out of Ohio that specializes in providing clean, renewable electricity to vulnerable communities around the world.

I'm told the idea was brought to light by a long time church member who attended the church growing up and now donates to the organization.

"We want are community to know that we love them and that we love this earth and we want to keep good care of it," said Collier.

"It's just great to know that we have available to us the knowledge, technique and method to channel the energy from the sun and bring it into a place like this," Pastor of Campton Baptist Church, Gary Conner said.

Pastor Conner also says the church saw the project as a way to invest in the community and serve as an educational tool.

"Best way to say it is, it's something out of the bible. It was like a window from heaven or a sheet from Heaven was let down here as a grand opportunity to say we are here, God's here and things are coming together for this project," Pastor Conner said.