We are a specialist team that has delivered church solar projects continuously since 2012. The roles below are the core specialist capabilities — most projects engage three or four roles, with additional input from EASA-member architects for the most heritage-sensitive cases.
Director
Donovan Fawcett
Founder and Director of SEO Dons Ltd. 14+ years in UK commercial solar; church specialism since 2012. Has personally engaged on every parish project we deliver. Sits on advisory committees for several CofE diocesan environment programmes. Lives in Essex.
MCS-registered installation lead
Senior Electrical Engineer
MCS commercial-certified, NICEIC-qualified electrical engineer with 12+ years of UK commercial PV experience. Oversees install-level technical delivery and DNO connection. Heritage-fabric specialist for listed buildings.
Heritage roof specialist
Structural Engineer
Chartered structural engineer specialising in heritage roof retrofitting. Trained at the SPAB William Morris Centre. Conducts every on-site survey for Grade II* and Grade I parish projects.
Ecclesiastical paperwork lead
Faculty Application Specialist
Previously worked in a diocesan registrar's office. Drafts Statements of Significance, Statements of Needs, faculty petitions, and represents applications at chancery hearings when required. 40+ successful faculty applications written.
Funding strategy lead
Grant Writer
Writes Buildings for Mission, diocesan capital, charitable trust and Methodist Net Zero applications. 60%+ success rate on Buildings for Mission applications (vs ~30% national average).
Heritage design (external partnership)
EASA Partner Architect
For our most heritage-sensitive Grade I and Grade II* projects, we work alongside Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association (EASA) member practices. Their decades of cathedral and parish-church fabric experience anchor the heritage design.
How the team works on your project
Most parish projects engage four core team roles at different stages:
- Desk feasibility (Week 1): Director + Grant Writer review and produce the PCC-ready report
- On-site survey (Week 3-4): Electrical Engineer + Structural Engineer attend in person; EASA Partner Architect attends for Grade I/II*
- Faculty drafting (Weeks 4-8): Faculty Application Specialist drafts Statement of Significance, Statement of Needs, and full application package
- Grant applications (Weeks 4-12, parallel): Grant Writer drafts Buildings for Mission and diocesan capital applications
- Install (Months 8-12): Electrical Engineer leads install crew; PCC has single point of contact via Director
- Commissioning and ongoing (Year 1+): Director maintains parish relationship; monitoring team handles annual reporting
Why an in-house team matters
The faculty pathway, grant writing, electrical engineering, and structural engineering all need to be done by specialists who know each other and work the same way every project. A generalist commercial solar installer typically subcontracts the heritage aspects, the grant writing, or both — adding cost and reducing project coherence. Our integrated team is the single biggest reason for our 100% faculty approval rate.