The “Tea & PV Commissioning” event led by Revd Ruth Gilson-Webb on Friday 10 November 2023 was a “good news day” at Portholme Church. Cllr Keith Franks, Mayor of Selby and Keir Mather MP, joined us to celebrate the commissioning of our solar panels and battery storage system as part of our commitment to working towards Net Zero Carbon.
The 20kWp solar PV array and 10kW battery has been generously funded by Energy for Tomorrow as part of a wider ‘Tea and PV‘ initiative across the Yorkshire North and East Methodist District. Portholme Church was the first of seven churches in the District to be up and running with both the kit and the monitoring system.
The event was commemorated with the ceremonial planting of a crab apple tree, a Malus ‘Comtesse de Paris’, by Cllr Keith Franks, Mayor of Selby, and Keir Mather MP for Selby and Ainsty. The tree was selected for its wildlife-friendly credentials, helping us to play our part in tackling the twin climate crises of biodiversity loss and carbon emissions. It was also chosen because it won’t grow tall enough to put our solar panels in shade!
The tree was ‘planted’ in a pot at the front of the sanctuary for the ceremony but, the following day, it was unceremoniously replanted in its permanent site in a new flower bed at the end of the car park!
