"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." A church in Montana took that quote from the bible literally, announcing plans to install a solar panel system on church grounds that will help offset energy usage and heat the building.

The First United Methodist Church in Great Falls plans to retrofit its building to improve its energy efficiency; built in 1955, the church first plans to convert its sanctuary into solar heat: The sanctuary was originally built with in-floor radiant heat so pipes in the floor carry hot water that heats the large room.

While the water was heated by a boiler in the past, it will instead be warmed by the sun; water will pass through solar panels mounted on the south-facing part of the church's roof. Luckily, the church's in-floor heating system has made the project easier to engineer as water must only be heated to 110 to 120 degrees - easily reached using solar power.

According to the church's management, construction will begin on the solar panel system as soon as the weather in the area permits - it is Montana after all. The church has already raised $40,000 from its parishioners to fund the installation.