Ontario power company calls N.S. solar program a 'win-win' for customers, province
CBC
A Toronto-based renewable energy company says it sees a lot of potential in Nova Scotia’s initiative to incentivize the construction of community 'solar gardens.’
PowerBank, which specializes in solar energy and battery storage systems, has had one project approved in Nova Scotia and proposed two others under the province's Community Solar Program.
The program, which launched in 2024, helps community groups and organizations set up large fields of solar panels, known as solar gardens, to sell subscriptions for the clean electricity they produce.
“We like this program because I think it's a win-win for all the parties,” said Tracy Cheng, chief commercial officer for PowerBank.
PowerBank’s solar projects will help Nova Scotia meet its goal of producing 80 per cent of its electricity through renewable energy, Zheng said, while also reducing power bills for customers who subscribe.
The provincial program allows the power generated from the solar gardens to be fed into the Nova Scotia Power grid.
Customers can sign up to receive power from a solar garden without paying an additional fee or physically being connected to the source.
The company says subscribers will save two cents per kilowatt hour on their electricity bill or 10-15 per cent.
PowerBank is expected to start construction on a 4.8-megawatt project near Brooklyn, N.S., in the spring, which it says will power up to 630 homes a year.
Two smaller projects are proposed near Antigonish and Bridgetown.
The project near Bridgetown is still going through the approval process. It must get letters of support from municipal governments where the projects are proposed.
“When the opportunity arose through public consultation as well as a presentation to our council, we were very receptive to it," said Dustin Enslow, deputy warden for the Municipality of Annapolis County.
Cheng made a presentation about the project to the municipality in November. She said it would power up to 250 homes in the surrounding area.
The company also held two public consultations meetings in the area last summer.
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