Can You Raise The Money?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUjuioxqUxk
Whilst reductions in the cost of your electricity bills will generally pay for installation and running costs of your panels over time, the installation does require an initial investment. If you have the funds available then making this investment yourself is undoubtedly the best way to move forwards. You will be able to proceed more quickly and obtain free electricity from day one which means you will recoup your investment reasonablky quickly.
Continue to ‘Installing panels yourself’
If you don’t have the money then you may be able to obtain grants to cover the costs although these are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain unless you can demonstrate that your place of worship provides a significant benefit to your local community.
A third alternative is to work in partnership with a community benefit society such as Greater Manchester Community Renewables. They are a not-for-profit organisation who raise money by selling shares to the local community. They lease roofspace from you on which to install their panels and charge you a reduced rate for the energy generated. This income allows them to repay shareholders (typically over a 20 year period). You will benefit from renewable energy from day one without having to pay anything at all but it will be at a reduced price rather than entirely free.