“If I can have people look at it and be engaged, and do something beautiful for my clients, who gather energy through their installations, then that makes a little bit of a contribution.”

Kevin Hudson, a metering and sustainable electricity manager with Saskatoon Light & Power, says the Lux Gloria may be the smallest system connected to its grid, but it’s also the system with the highest profile. He says it can generate up to 2,500 KW hours a year. While that isn’t enough to meet all of the cathedral’s electricity needs, it certainly helps offset the cathedral’s reliance on other forms of energy.

Solar is still a lightweight in the energy ring, representing only 0.5 per cent of worldwide energy generation in 2011. According to Hudson, Saskatchewan residents use more energy and produce more greenhouse gas emissions per capita than anywhere else in Canada, with one third of energy production coming from oil and gas.

Hudson is hopeful Hall’s artwork will make people more aware of solar energy as a potential option for their electricity needs.

See more of Sarah Hall’s work on her website.