2024-212-E-AMS-EMPOWERment-Solar on Peach

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Project Description: The requested funds will be used to purchase and install new LED light fixtures to replace the existing, less efficient metal halide fixtures at the Hargraves Community Center outdoor basketball court. Hargraves Community Center is located in Chapel Hill’s largest historically black neighborhood and is part of the NC Civil Rights Trail. In addition to the emissions reductions, this retrofit would enhance safety, improve neighborhood relations, and minimize maintenance and energy costs. Project Benefits: This proposed upgrade would provide both better lighting and better quality of life. Carbon emissions will be reduced through improved energy efficiency, and this new lighting system will significantly reduce spill light and glare while also allowing the lights to be consistently turned off each night by 11 pm. This has biodiversity benefits (especially for migrating birds in spring and fall) and would benefit neighbors by reducing light spillage, glare, and noise after 11 pm. Reviewer Comments: This initiative is supported, however funding was not recommended this year as there were many community applicants that had not received funding from the CCAG program in the past. This project’s benefits included lighting areas that are not currently lit and reduced energy consumption due to timers which also reduced nighttime light pollution. We encourage Chapel Hill to continue to pursue this effort. Grant Dollars Requested Per Metric Ton of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduced During Project Lifetime: $956 #4 Ranked Project – Hillsborough United Church of Christ Applicant (Collaborators): N/A Funding Requested: $10,000 Recommended Funding Level: $10,000 Total Score (Out of 25 pts): 20 Project Description: The project is to add solar panels to provide green energy for our building. This project is part of a long‐term vision to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint and to live out part of our calling and mission to care for creation. As a smaller faith community, we have wanted to move toward solar but the costs have made it prohibitive for a congregation of our size. With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the inclusion of faith communities for the federal rebate, it began to be a real possibility. Project Benefits: This project indirectly benefits the wider community by reducing the use of fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. The project over its lifetime will have the equivalent impact of planting 4,987 trees, creating nearly 160 new acres of forest land and will have the same impact of not driving fossil fueled cars for 481,470 miles. These benefits directly help Hillsborough but also our world as we all move to do our part to reduce the harmful impacts of climate change. We hope at the completion of this project we can share with other congregations our success and that solar is a real possibility for them as well. Reviewer Comments: We are pleased that this project utilized funding from additional sources beyond the CCAG furthering their larger sustainability efforts and that there is intentional community focus on awareness of renewable impacts. We are also happy to support an organization in the northern portion of Orange County. Grant Dollars Requested Per Metric Ton of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduced During Project Lifetime: $126 #5 Ranked Project – Binkley Baptist Church Applicant (Collaborators): N/A Funding Requested: $49,036 Recommended Funding Level: $49,036 Total Score (Out of 26 pts): 18 Project Description: With this grant we wish to install 46 solar panels (18.86 DC Net‐metered) with an annual production of 23,905 kWh/year to reduce Binkley’s energy‐generated carbon emissions by more than 32,500 lbs/year. By doing so, Binkley will demonstrate its continuing commitment to do all we can as a 8 DocuSign Envelope ID: EB7B9CC8-B910-4965-AF93-0969E3E03E78