Operational case study

Sisters of St. Francis

A 475 kW solar carport developed for the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, combining renewable generation, covered parking, operating savings, and a visible expression of the Sisters' commitment to care for creation.

OperationalSylvania, OhioOperational December 31, 2025

Prepared by Elevated Energy · Updated October 8, 2026

Organization: Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania
System: 475 kW solar carport
Current status: The 475 kW Phase I carport became operational on December 31, 2025. A separate 180 kW Canticle Center phase remains in development.

475^kW

Operational capacity

593,750^kWh

Projected annual generation

$63K

Expected annual savings

252^tons

Projected annual CO₂ avoided

The challenge

The Sisters wanted their investment in renewable energy to reduce long-term operating costs while expressing a broader commitment to stewardship, service, community, and care for creation.

The project also had to work as campus infrastructure: the design needed to coordinate parking, weather protection, electrical production, construction activity, monitoring, and a broader multi-phase energy vision.

The approach

Elevated Energy and Perrysburg Energy developed and delivered a 475 kW weather-protective solar carport using First Solar modules. The work connected project development, design and construction coordination, commissioning, performance monitoring, and Return on Mission™ reporting.

The carport turned an existing parking area into a productive asset while retaining its daily campus function. Monitoring and reporting were incorporated so measured production could be distinguished from annual forecasts and related to the Sisters’ defined priorities.

Return on Mission

The system became operational on December 31, 2025. It is projected to generate approximately 593,750 kWh annually and create roughly $63,000 in annual savings; those figures remain projections rather than measured annual results.

Monitoring recorded approximately 166 MWh of year-to-date production as of June 2, 2026. The date and reporting period are stated because partial-year production should not be presented as a full-year result.

Project timeline and responsibilities

The project moved from campus objectives and development analysis through system definition, design coordination, construction, commissioning, and ongoing performance reporting. The operating 475 kW carport is the first completed phase of a broader campus solar initiative.

Elevated Energy’s documented role covers project development and long-term performance and impact reporting. Perrysburg Energy participated in project delivery and construction. The Sisters of St. Francis are the host organization and define the priorities used in their Return on Mission™ reporting.

Development decisions

The early work considered more than nameplate capacity. Project economics, available capital, the parking-area use, carport design, equipment selection, campus operations, and the Sisters’ stewardship goals needed to support the same project scope.

That process is described further on the Development service page.

Construction and commissioning

The delivered system combines a structural carport, photovoltaic modules, electrical equipment, monitoring, and covered parking. Coordinating those elements required engineering, permitting, procurement, installation, functional verification, and closeout around an occupied campus.

See Construction management for the responsibilities Elevated Energy coordinates from engineering through commissioning.

Measured results and projections

Projected annual generation, projected annual savings, and projected emissions effects remain planning values until a complete reporting period and applicable calculations are available. The 166 MWh figure is measured production for the partial period ending June 2, 2026; it is not an annual total.

The article Why year two matters explains why a complete operating process includes baselines, availability, weather, maintenance, utility reconciliation, and warranty follow-up.

Return on Mission™

The reporting framework places energy production, financial value, and environmental measures alongside organization-defined priorities. It keeps actuals, estimates, projections, and allocations separate so leadership can understand what the asset produced and how the organization chose to describe its value.

Read What Return on Mission™ actually measures for the inputs, process, outputs, and limits.

Sources

The Sisters of St. Francis describe the campus initiative, public project figures, and Elevated Energy’s role on their official solar project page.

Related resources

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