Churches in Kent, Auburn receive state solar project grants
Published 12:58 pm Wednesday, May 20, 2026
One church in Auburn and another one in Kent will be installing solar panels after receiving grants from the state Department of Commerce.
St. Columba Episcopal Church, 26715 Military Road S., in Kent, and Messiah Lutheran Church, 410 H St., in Auburn, are among the nearly 100 clean energy projects across Washington funded from a $60.4 million investment by Commerce.
St. Columba received a grant of $202,793 while Messiah Lutheran was awarded $432,966, according to a May 19 news release from Commerce.
“These investments demonstrate Commerce’s commitment to moving projects quickly from concept to construction,” said Commerce Interim Director Sarah Clifthorne. “I’m excited we’re helping neighborhoods become more resilient and helping make clean energy more affordable.”
The 96 new awards are in addition to $16.8 million for tribal clean energy awards announced in April. In total, Commerce has invested $77.2 million in 118 community clean energy projects this spring.
The awards are from several Commerce programs: Clean Energy Grants, Clean Energy Siting and Permitting, Thermal Energy Networks, Clean Energy Technical Assistance and the Washington Grid Resilience Program.
The two churches are part of the Clean Energy Grants program. Commerce awarded $34.8 million to 57 projects in 33 counties supporting solar installations, battery energy storage systems, microgrids, biomass facilities and renewable hydrogen technologies.
Many projects will provide backup power for community facilities such as schools, emergency centers and fire districts, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to Commerce. The program streamlines access to funding by combining multiple state funding sources into a single application.
Funding for these projects comes from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants Program, State Building Construction Account and from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA reinvests cap-and-invest dollars that reduce climate pollution, create jobs and improve public health. Information about the CCA is available at climate.wa.gov.
