Solar City Initiative

Update - March 29, 2012 - Solar City By-Law S-500 is in the process of being created. This By-Law will enable the mechanism for the Municipality to provide financing for individual homeowners for solar improvement. A public hearing being held April 17th, 2012 will be the last step to approval for this By-Law.

What Next?

• In December 2011, HRM Council authorized the initiation of a procurement process to select the vendors. Final vendor selection to launch the program is expected in Spring 2012.

• Once a vendor is selected and approved by Regional Council the program can move forward. Installations could begin in the Spring 2012.

See what residents who signed up are saying about the initiative...

See what the solar industry and community stakeholders are saying about the initiative...

Comments from Industry meeting held in January 2011

Letters of Support:

• Energy Minister Charlie Parker
• Environmental Services Association of Nova Scotia
• Nova Scotia Community College
• Halifax Chamber of Commerce

The Solar City Initiative is a proposed pilot program in the development stage. HRM staff have conducted a number of community information sessions and have completed a pre-screen sign-up process to gauge interest in the program. Staff have also achieved approval from the Province of Nova Scotia to amend the HRM Charter to allow participants to be billed as part of their annual tax bill.

Project Concept...

•$8.5 million pilot project to encourage individual homeowners to install solar panels for heating domestic hot water.

•1 or 2 solar hot water panels 

•Financed through property tax bills

•User pay

•Payback 10 years depending upon available rebates and interest rates

•Pilot 500 – 700 homes (1000 panels)

•Economies of scale purchase & install

View information session presentation here.

Can't find the answer to your question in our FAQs? Feel free to email us your question.

Frequently Asked Questions

Solar Potential within HRM. The municipality is working with Dalhousie University to create a screening and awareness tool - a SolarMap of HRM showing the solar potential of the region. Dalhousie University's GIS lab has already processed HRM's LiDAR information to create a solar potential database. Cool!

Links

• Regional Council Report - March 20, 2012
• Regional Council Report - December 13, 2011
• Regional Council Report - February 8, 2011
• Regional Council Report - November 2, 2010
• Regional Council Presentation - November 2, 2010
• Conserve Nova Scotia - Heat and Hot Water
• A Buyer's Guide - Solar Water Heating Systems - Natural Resources Canada

Media

• The Chronicle Herald  - Solar Industry warms to HRM solar pilot project - December 15, 2011.
• Metro - Solar Panel Project to be in Hot Water by the Fall - February 9, 2011
• Metro - Solar Project Gets Approval - November 3, 2010
• The Coast - Halifax as Solar City - November 4, 2010
• The Chronicle Herald - HRM hopes sun shines on solar panels - November 20, 2010
• Nova Scotia Government Release - New Legislation Helps Families Live Greener - November 25, 2010
• Metro - Positive feedback from solar proposal - November 26, 2010
• The Chronicle Herald - Supplier sees red over solar project - December 4, 2010
• The Chronicle Herald - Contractors: Solar project unfair - December 10, 2010
• The Chronicle Herald - Homeowners tap into Halifax’s solar heated hot water project  - December 16, 2010
• The Chronicle Herald - HRM has heard from over 1,200
  people who want solar panels - December 22, 2010