A Methow Valley church is becoming a wildfire refuge – powered by the sun
Methow Valley United Methodist Church unveiled a solar array and battery storage system in November that will power its facility during outages and provide clean air during wildfires. The church is also set to install an electric vehicle charger later this spring, allowing community members with EVs to evacuate the Methow Valley, even when the power grid is down.
MVUMC’s solar project was born of a desire to serve the community with its piece of land, which is situated just off Highway 20 between Winthrop and Twisp and not well-suited for agriculture or housing, said Leigh Ann Robinson, the congregation’s pastor.
The solar and battery system makes the church a resilience hub: a central location with shelter and resources to support the community before, during and after disasters.
Tucked in the eastern foothills of the North Cascades, the Methow Valley is prone to snowy winters and dry, smoky summers. The Carlton Complex fire tore through the valley in 2014, eventually burning more than 256,000 acres to become the largest fire in Washington state history.
“To create something that isn’t based on community need doesn’t make any sense,” Robinson said.
The church is fully accessible and has a newly certified commercial-grade kitchen. Between the sanctuary, fellowship hall and several classrooms, it has space for more than 100 people to take shelter – including a nursery with toys for the “littlest members of the community,” Robinson said.
The solar project was funded by an $843,000 grant for clean energy projects from the Washington State Department of Commerce.
Leigh Ann Robinson’s daughter, Juliana, a senior at the Methow Valley Independent Learning Center, wrote the grant application and solicited feedback from the community about what resources would be useful.
Juliana Robinson said she wants MVUMC to be a place where people can get information about other local organizations, especially if they don’t have internet access or aren’t familiar with online options.
“I’ve been able to harness that excitement and talk to people to get them excited and energized about what we’re doing,” Juliana Robinson said.
As part of her high school coursework, Juliana Robinson interns with Michiel Zuidweg of MZ Solar Consulting, the designer of the solar array. She also serves on the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church’s Commission on Environmental Stewardship, which helps other churches install solar systems and become more environmentally friendly. After she graduates, she said she is considering pursuing a degree in electrical engineering and eventually working in renewable energy.
“I’ve seen firsthand the impact that having solar panels installed can have,” Juliana Robinson said. “(I want to) help make it so more communities can experience the benefits I’m seeing in our community from a project like this.”
Inspiration from Vashon Island
Leigh Ann Robinson said her church was inspired by Vashon United Methodist Church, which received a WADOC grant in 2023 to install solar panels and battery storage.
VUMC can stay open for three days during a power outage, offering shelter, showers and a kitchen during an emergency, said Eric Walker, chair of the VUMC council. The church has also partnered with VashonBePrepared, a volunteer emergency preparedness organization, to meet more community needs.
VUMC’s central location in the town of Vashon makes it a convenient place to access social services. Vashon Youth and Family Service’s Family Place program operates out of VUMC’s fellowship hall, and the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank purchased VUMC’s education building and opened a new warehouse on the church grounds on March 13.
“By the time we did solar and storage and added the heat pumps, we already were a resilience hub – we just didn’t know that’s what it was called,” Walker said.