Grace Episcopal Church has been welcoming individuals of all backgrounds, faith journeys, viewpoints, and ages to their parish on Bainbridge Island since 1992. This year, they decided to install solar panels to reduce their operating costs and lower their carbon footprint, all in an effort to better serve their congregation, community, and planet. The plan to go solar was in the works for a few years, led by the Greening Grace team. They connected with Olympia Community Solar to successfully secure funding for the project through the Washington State Department of Commerce Clean Energy Grants program.
From there, Grace Church underwent a rigorous contractor selection process in which Cascadia Solar came out on top as the best team for the job. Cascadia Solar led the entire project from start to finish, including the initial design, permitting, and installation.
We were proud to be their trusted commercial solar contractor on Bainbridge Island. Over the summer of 2026, we completed their solar array, and they are now yet another example of how we’ve helped local religious, municipal, and community buildings achieve their energy and sustainability goals.
Cascadia Solar installed a 32 kW system consisting of 73 solar panels on Grace Episcopal Church’s roof. Our design carefully accommodated all of the church’s vents and rooftop obstructions, prioritizing aesthetics while maintaining functionality.
We positioned the solar array on the two main roofs and installed commercial inverters on both sides of the building. This provided two main benefits:
1. It let us place an inverter strategically near an electrical panel, since a battery system will eventually back up the church. This “battery ready” design means that when the church is ready to proceed with a second-phase battery installation, they can tie into the existing solar system without moving any solar equipment.
2. Installing solar on both roofs allowed us to avoid routing unsightly conduit around the sanctuary’s glass. Grace Church was designed by the Pacific Northwest architectural firm, Cutler-Anderson, and those who have been to the church know the building is a work of art. Preserving the building’s beauty was very important to the planning team, so we developed a design that complemented the architecture and did not detract from its aesthetics.
Grace Episcopal Church’s solar installation was funded by a grant from the WA Department of Commerce Clean Energy Community Grants program, supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA).
Grace relied on Cascadia Solar because of our deep experience with state solar funding. We were very familiar with this project’s grant requirements and made sure the church didn’t experience any hiccups along the way.
Drone photography provided by John McKenzie johnmckenzie@ameritech.net
Grace Church had multiple goals they wanted to achieve with solar. Their overall motivation was to expand their ability to serve their congregation and the surrounding community. By generating their own clean energy, Grace Church will lower their energy bills and improve their campus’ sustainability.
The energy savings generated by the solar array will be donated to Fishline to help provide direct relief to neighbors struggling to pay utility bills. We are proud to have helped them achieve that. As a result of our work, Grace Episcopal Church has:
Interested in seeing our final work at Grace Episcopal Church? Stop by the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the church on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Cascadia Solar will be there to give an informative presentation on the project and answer any questions you might have about how solar works. You can learn more and RSVP here.
This project is only one recent example of our experience with grant-funded solar projects on Bainbridge Island and the Kitsap/Olympic Peninsulas. We have an extensive portfolio of work with municipal and commercial properties, community housing projects like the Nordic Cottages, and other places of worship like Bethany Lutheran Church.
As the solar team of Frederickson Electric, we have a long-standing reputation in the community. When you hire Cascadia Solar, you’re guaranteed to be working with our licensed electricians. We never subcontract, so our in-house team handles every aspect of your installation from start to finish.
