Canadian cathedral installs solar panels -- inside stained glass

Feb 15, 2011
by Tom Gallagher

From The Montreal Gazette:

A different kind of trinity is emerging at Saskatoon's newest cathedral, where the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon is combining art, technology and faith in a stunning and environmentally-friendly project.

The Holy Family Catholic Church, a $28.5-million cathedral under construction in Saskatoon's northeast, has solar cells embedded in the large stained glass windows that will be installed this spring.

The cathedral could be the first church in North America to use photovoltaic cells in a stained glass installation, said cathedral building committee chair Jim Nakoneshny. The University of British Columbia used the combination in a library.

Back in 2009 I wrote an NCR story for my Mission Management column about the use of solar power by the Diocese of San Jose, Calif.

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