A California Network of Black Churches Is Embracing Solar Energy, EV Charging

Inside Climate News

HAYWARD, Calif.—On a Sunday morning, the swirling timbre of a Hammond organ drifted into the lobby at Glad Tidings International Church of God in Christ. On the stage, a lively guest preacher, Ronzel Pretlow, roused the congregation in the Hayward, California, church, his raspy voice rising and falling as he sang and shouted, prompting his audience to stand. When the excitement waned, he shifted their attention to Glad Tidings’ founder, Bishop Jerry Macklin, seated in the pulpit.

“I think we owe our Bishop another round of applause for leading us into innovation and creativity,” the preacher said, eliciting a jingle from the organist. “I’m going back home to see if I’ve got room for some electric vehicle chargers,” he joked, knowing the profit that the chargers the church would soon have up and running could bring.

In September, Glad Tidings will complete its new Community Decarbonization Hub—a multipurpose campus featuring a 13,000-square-foot solar-powered building with battery storage and ten EV charging stations. The project, which started four years ago and has a $4.3 million price tag, won’t only cut the church’s energy usage and costs—it’s expected to generate around $500,000 annually. And in five to seven years, as more people charge their vehicles at the church, that amount is projected to double.