Light from the sun is not only streaming through the stained-glass windows, but is also helping with the electricity bills.

The roof of the Durham Unitarian Univeralist Fellowship on Madbury Road is covered with an array of panels that are capable of generating some 13 kilowatts of power, according to Michael Fleming, a member of the church’s fellowship.

He told me that this is the first church in the state to use solar panels to generate electricity, and the project is based on the congregation’s faith-based principles and concerns about climate change.

I spoke to him via Skype about the project and his optimism that it will eventually lead to cost savings as well. Barrington Power, which owns the solar equipment, can be reached via its website barringtonpower.com. The Unitarian Fellowship’s website is uudurham.com/wp