DB: The province of Nova Scotia is currently offering the SolarHomes program which helps Nova Scotians harness the sun’s energy by offering rebates on approved solar PV systems up to 10kW in size or $0.30/Watt installed DC capacity up to a maximum of $3000.00. There’s also a rebate from the Federal government called the Canada Greener Homes Grant program, which offers grants of up to $5,000 to help homeowners make energy efficiency retrofits to their primary residences. You are able to use one of these programs to help fund your solar installation but not both.
Plus, many municipalities now offer PACE financ - ing now where you can finance your system through your property and pay over time giving you a longer term for repayment with the idea being that you save more on your energy cost than your payment maximizing your investment. There’s anewfinancingprogrambeingannounced by the federal government that’s not out yet but should be available this coming June which is a CMHC $40,000 interest free loan for people to do home retrofits including solar. These zero-in - terest loans would be something that would really help spur a whole lot of additional demand for solar installations and promote further growth in the industry. These are a great addition to the PACE programs available for some commu- nities, which provides 15-year interest free loans allowing customers to be cashflow positive, from
the beginning of your install, so you’re actually saving on your energy cost which in most cases is greater than the loan you are paying off for the install, making it a very easy decision to go solar. SPOTLIGHT: What is next for Solar Nova Scotia? What projects do you have coming up in 2022 and beyond that you can share with us? DB: We’re going to be releasing a video on passive solar homes which will be coming out soon. So, I guess you could say we’re kind of releasing educational videos. And we are planning more public education initiatives. I am sure that you have heard of the recent changes that have been announced by Nova Scotia Power that would see a System Access Charge for solar customers. We are going to continue to advocate against these changes and make sure that all levels of government know the impact that these proposed changes or any other changes for that matter will have on the industry, its support- ing businesses, and its customers. On a more positive note, we are excited about two new programs that have been announced by the province but haven’t come out yet. One is the Community Solar Garden Program, and the other is called the Commercial Solar Program. These additional government programs show the Province’s commitment to 80 percent of Nova Scotia’s electricity needs being supplied by renewable energy by 2030 and by allowing for larger solar community gardens and larger commercial installations, both will help us all attain this goal. These are very exciting opportunities for those in the industry.
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
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