FOCUSED ON SUSTAINABLE RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR ALL BLUENOSERS SOLAR NOVA SCOTIA
“Solar Nova Scotia was founded in 1980 by a passionate group of people interested in energy efficient technol - ogy and sustainability”
by Ryan Myson
to reduce their energy costs and their carbon footprint. Solar Nova Scotia is a volunteer organi- zation, with a volunteer board of direc- tors and I as their volunteer chair. My background is in mechanical engineering where I’ve been working in the field of energy efficiency for about 12 or 13 years now. I work very closely with municipal- ities. So in addition to being the chair of Solar Nova Scotia, I’m the Energy Manager of the Halifax Regional Munici- pality. In that role, I’m helping HRM meet their target of being net zero 2030 with their corporate buildings. Previous to this I was the Energy Manager of CBRM. I’ve been interested in energy efficiency and the renew - able energy sector for some time now. The organization itself has around 50 corporate members from all over Nova Scotia, which can be found on the Solar Nova Scotia website. It is an exciting time for the industry right now, probably the most exciting time in the history of the solar industry. Installations have been growing very rapidly. Plus, we are seeing investment in the industry and the economy as a growing number of new companies are now offering solar products and services to both resi-
S olar Nova Scotia is a registered not for profit society and a volunteer run organi - zation working collectively towards their common vision of a Nova Scotia that relies 100% on sustainable renewable energy support by a vibrant local industry. We sit down with David Brushett, Solar Nova Scotia Board Chair to discuss the history of Solar in Nova Scotia and how the organization is acting as an advocate, and working with government at all levels to create policies supporting adoption of all forms of solar energy including active, passive, thermal and photovoltaic (PV) while supporting business- es offering these products and services along with the residential and commercial customers that are looking to make the switch to solar in the province. SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS: Can you tell us a little about the history of the Solar Industry in Nova Scotia? When did the focus to sustain- able energy begin in the province? When was the organization founded? Can you tell us a
little about your role with the organizations and what got you interested in this industry? David Brushett: Solar Nova Scotia was founded in 1980 by a passionate group of people interest - ed in energy efficient technology and sustainabil - ity, but at the time solar wasn’t really the go to technology. In the beginning solar thermal was a much more popular technology with passive solar home innovation that would collect heat as the sun shines through south-facing windows and retains it in materials that store heat, known as thermal mass. However, in recent years there has been vast improvements in energy efficiency products like solar PV. Because of the reduced costs and the improvements in solar technology it has really come an energy source that Nova Scotians have become interested in as they look
“It is an exciting time for the industry right now, probably the most exciting time in the history of the solar industry.”
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
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