Salt Lake City church turns to sun power

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Installing solar panels on the new wing of the First Unitarian Church at 569 S. 1300 East is more than a cost-cutting measure for the Salt Lake City church — it is part of the faith.

"Good stewardship of the Earth," the Rev. Tom Goldsmith, pastor at First Unitarian, said in a news release, "should be — and is — evolving into the premier religious issue of our time."

On Friday, members and invited guests joined Goldsmith in a celebration of the 1927 New England-style church's new 124-panel solar energy project, which was funded by Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky customers in Utah and an anonymous donor.

"I'm pleased our Blue Sky customers in Utah have helped make the church's solar energy system a reality," Rocky Mountain Power President and CEO Richard Walje said in the release. "The Blue Sky program provides an easy and convenient way for our customers to support renewable-energy development in the Western region and close to home through projects such as this one."