Joyce Yates, leadership volunteer with The Cross of Christ, conducted this interview with John Wilbanks of Mathiston, owner of Mississippi Solar LLC. The company provided discounted services to have solar panels generate lighting for The Cross of Christ.
1. What is the name of your business and what do you do?
JW: We are Mississippi Solar LLC. We design and install solar energy systems and other backup power solutions for residential and commercial customers. Our products include solar panels, inverters, battery systems and Generac backup generators.
2. How do you see the solar panels helping electric bills in the near future for The Cross of Christ? And, how does this work?
JW: The solar PV system at The Cross of Christ is a simple grid-tied system that takes advantage of a program that TVA offered in 2019 that pays customers for the energy their solar PV systems produce.
The goal in designing the system at The Cross of Christ was simple … to offset the energy consumed by the lighting at the cross. We know the total wattage of all the lighting at the cross and we can assume that the lights will be on 12 hours a day on average … more during the winter, and less during the summer, but still an average of 12 hours per day annually.
The solar PV system will produce more power in the summer with longer daylight hours, and less in the winter, but at the end of the year it will average out to produce about the same amount of energy used at The Cross of Christ.
Under TVA’s program, The Cross of Christ will earn a monthly bill credit of 9 cents per kWh. The credit will be applied to the cross’ utility bill monthly through Natchez Trace EPA.
In the summer, the solar PV array will produce excess energy and the cross will have a credit balance on their utility bill. In the winter, the solar PV array will produce less energy than consumed at the cross and owe a little. At the end of the year the net effect will be a small utility cost. Long term, this will significantly reduce the monthly burden to maintain The Cross of Christ.
3. Has your personal relationship with Jesus Christ prompted you to give of your time and resources to The Cross of Christ and why?
JW: In short, yes. Virginia and I made the decision to move the company to Eupora shortly after we purchased it. We saw this as an excellent opportunity to contribute to something that was important to the community and countless others that pass by The Cross of Christ daily.
Our Christian faith has taught us the importance of investing in God’s eternal kingdom. We are humbled to have the opportunity to contribute.
