Project No. 11/2025 –
Installation of batteries for a solar panel system
(Bacău, Romania)
The Province of St. Joseph, Spouse of the B.V.M. in Romania of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual has proposed pastoral and ecological Project No. 11/2025, entitled, “Installation of batteries for a solar panel system,” aimed at optimizing the energy system of the friary located in the city of Bacău, in the Diocese of Iași, Romania.
The project is a natural continuation of work carried out in previous years, during which a solar panel system for electricity generation was installed. Initially, it was expected that energy fed into the national grid would provide an economic benefit to the community; however, experience has shown that the energy supplied to the grid is underpaid, while the energy required during nighttime hours is purchased at significantly higher costs.
In light of this situation, it has become necessary to integrate the system with storage batteries in order to store the energy produced during the day and use it when it is most needed. This intervention will significantly reduce the friary’s energy costs, improving the community’s financial sustainability while also promoting a more responsible and sustainable use of resources.
The initiative therefore contributes both to the care of creation and to the support of the friars’ pastoral and fraternal life, helping to ensure more stable conditions for carrying out daily activities.
Project Information
- Conventual Franciscan Jurisdiction: Province of St. Joseph, Spouse of the B.V.M. in Romania
- Country: Romania
- Diocese: Iași
- Location: Bacău
- Type of Project: Pastoral and ecological project
- Date of Proposal: March 4, 2025
- Expected Duration: 3 months
- Direct Project Coordinator:
-
- Friar Iosif DANCĂ
- Total Project Cost: €8,579.10 (42,295.00 LEI)
- Local Contributions (from the Province)
- €1,079.10
- Contributions:
- Province of Our Lady of the Angels in the USA [OLA]: €7,000.00
- Funding Status:
- Fully funded (the remaining €500 was covered by the local community)
Update (April 2026)
The Province of St. Joseph, Spouse of the B.V.M. in Romania, of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, reports that the grant allocated for this project—transmitted through the General Curia—was received on March 18, 2026.
The project was completed on April 1, 2026. The total cost was RON 49,270.58, equivalent to €9,679.87 (exchange rate: €1 = RON 5.09).
The grant made it possible to complete the installation of the batteries needed for the friary’s solar energy system. In total, four Huawei LUNA2000-5-S0 batteries were installed, each with a capacity of 5 kWh, a voltage of 450 V, and LFP (lithium iron phosphate) technology.
The project was carried out without any particular difficulties.
As expected, installing the batteries has reduced the friary’s electricity costs and benefited the Province’s finances by lowering electricity bills, allowing the savings to be redirected to other needs.
With the project completed, the direct beneficiaries are the six friars serving at the Provincial Curia. The indirect beneficiaries include the friars attending Provincial meetings and initial and continuing formation programs, as well as members of the Secular Franciscan Order attending retreats and young people participating in various Provincial activities—altogether totaling approximately 800 people a year.
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