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Abbot Philip blesses the new solar batteries.

 

Thanks to the generosity of many benefactors, the Monastery recently acquired a number of new solar batteries for the north power grid.  These are shown in the photo above being blessed by Abbot Philip after their recent installation and connection to the solar power panels.

The Monastery is located in the remote Chama canyon where there is no electrical power available from transmission lines.  As a result, all of the electricity needs are met by solar power. While this is a good thing in terms of its low environmental impact, it can also have its difficulties when the equipment begins to age.  For some time now, the Monastery has struggled to maintain in operating condition a system that dates back over twenty years.

Abbot Philip said that he is particularly grateful for the north side of our solar power grid being fixed because of what it meant for the community and one of the monks.  The system had developed such great difficulties that a monk had to stay up all night and manage the generator and power usage in order to maintain electricity for critical functions of the entire monastery’s buildings and operations.   As a result this monk had to get his sleep during the day and missed most of the Divine Office in church.  Now with the north power grid fully operative again, this monk has returned to the same schedule as all of the monks and so he too is particularly grateful.