Nova Scotia’s $5.2-million Community Solar Program will help community groups build solar gardens. (Sebastian Ganso via Pixabay)
The Nova Scotia government has created a $5.2-million fund to help community groups and businesses set up solar gardens and sell the electricity.
The Community Solar Program is open to non-profits, co-operatives, First Nations communities, municipalities, businesses, universities and colleges. New solar gardens are expected to be up and running by spring 2026.
Once people subscribe, they will get a solar energy credit of two cents per kilowatt hour on their power bill.
Groups can team up to build the solar gardens. Each one can generate up to 10 megawatts of power, according to the province. One megawatt of solar power can power up to 131 homes for a year.
The program is expected to introduce up to 500 megawatts of renewable energy by 2026, according to a news release from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.
“Not everyone has the ability to install their own solar panels,” Tory Rushton, minister of natural resources and renewables, said in the release.
“This program creates the opportunity to buy solar energy from a community provider instead.”
As the Queens Pool Committee gets down to the business of planning a replacement for the outdoor pool in Milton, some in the community are asking why those resources aren’t being poured into the development of an indoor pool for Queens.
At the recent Region of Queens council meeting some suggested the estimated $3 million anonymous donation should be lumped together with the $2.5 million the Region had set aside for a replacement to get close to $6 million in seed money.
They say the next step would be to use that money to entice the province and federal government to provide matching funding up to $18 million to build an indoor facility.
The group recognized an indoor pool would require a great deal more annual funding to run year-round.
The closest comparable facility to what’s being proposed for Queens Place is the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre.
The Lunenburg County Multi-Purpose Centre Corporation oversees operations at the LCLC.
Projected year-end numbers released at their January meeting show the Town of Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg contributed a total of $1,054,915 in municipal operating grants to the LCLC, just over half the $1,980,192 the facility took in total revenue.
The corporation is expecting expenses will be $2,215,323 for an operating loss of $235,131 in 2022-23.
The LCLC offers a rink, pool, meeting and fitness rooms, and houses the public library.
General Manager Kent Walsh says that while it may sound similar to what Queens Place would look like if the proposed indoor pool was added, it really is not a fair comparison.
“I was thinking of analogies and it’s like saying, what’s the fuel economy in a car,” said Walsh. “Well, it depends on the car and if I tell you that the fuel economy is 14 litres to the 100kms and what does that actually mean when you’re looking at a different car. It’s just totally different.”
Walsh says there are any number of factors that will impact the operating costs of an indoor pool.
He says the hours of operation, the number of swim lessons and other programming that is offered will impact the amount it will cost for staffing.
The size of the pool, and the source of power, whether it is solar, direct from the NS Power grid or some other method will dictate some of the operating costs.
And those numbers are just the tip of the iceburg.
Walsh says without knowing the final design it is impossible to begin to guess what the operating cost of an indoor pool facility would be.
He says from his experience, whether Queens builds an indoor or outdoor pool they should put together their long-term wish list for the facility and build it all at once.
“I think the one learning from the LCLC, because there were so many cuts made when things were being constructed, is that you just shoot yourself in the foot long term. If they end up going into this thing God I hope they go whole hog,” said Walsh. “ Don’t try to make a four lane, you know getting under the wire on costs. Just go the whole nine-yards because otherwise in five years when you just completely outgrown the thing…”
Walsh is naturally a huge supporter of recreation and fitness facilities.
He says every community is trying to attract healthcare workers and other talented people to come work in their industries, and a well-developed recreation centre can be a huge factor when trying to recruit young families to the area.
Welsh firmly believes the health benefits to the community more than make up for the cost to run many of these programs.
“You know what it costs when someone has a heart attack? A million dollars right off the bat, heart attack, bypass surgery, recovery, a million dollars. And it stresses out a system that’s already stressed out, all the negative things that come from you know, poor health.”
Walsh says it’s always better and less costly to prevent those kind of health emergencies. “If you can put programs in place that improve health outcomes for people, well how many, how many people do you got to divert from having a heart attack to make it worthwhile right?”
With no estimates on the cost to build and operate an indoor pool and no firm commitment from other levels of government to come up with additional funding to pay for it the indoor pool discussion could very well amount to little more than a nice idea.
Council will be addressing several motions pertaining to the construction of an outdoor pool when they meet this Tuesday February 14.
The Liverpool curling club is once again undergoing major renovations.
The group is looking to cut costs with the installation of solar panels on the roof and improve accessibility with the construction of a modular ramp and power door.
The J and W Murphy Foundation recently provided Region of Queens with funding to be used for civic improvement projects.
Region of Queens council decided at their last meeting to award $236,000 of that funding for improvements to the Liverpool curling club.
Over the past couple of years, the club has spent around $750,000 improving the club through the installation of a new roof, improvements to the heating systems and insulation and transitioning to LED lighting.
Club president Gordon Sampson says while this is the first time they’ve received funding from the municipality the club has been successful in applying and making using of several provincial grants.
Sampson says they’ve seen awareness of the club drastically improve within the community since the renovations began.
“It’s exponentially higher than what we had expected even,” said Sampson. “The enthusiasm for the club has gone through the roof.”
In addition to hosting more bonspiels and club-based engagements such as trivia nights, Sampson says the community has made use of the building for a wide range of events from air cadet meetings to Privateer Days, public health COVID vaccination clinics to YMCA outreach programs.
He says opening their doors for use as a community hub aligns with the club’s core mission.
“We’re centrally located, we’re in the downtown core. What we can offer to the town and the region, that’s what we’re all about. That’s our mission statement,” said Sampson. “That’s what we want to do and that’s why we’ve been successful.”
Sampson says installing solar panels on the club will help them get away from oil and move to electric heating while cutting their costs.
He’s hopeful adding the electric heating to the already installed heat pumps will help make the club a Net-Zero building.
And members aren’t finished working to upgrade the club as they’re writing grants to replace the kitchen and furniture.
He says the club has earned a reputation for doing good work with the funding provided which makes it easier to apply for more funding.
“Once you get a track record you can show that you do what you say you’re going to do, well then, money becomes more readily available.”
Sampson expects work will begin on the new ramp and solar panels once the curling season wraps and the weather improves sometime around April.
Potential site of the new Queens outdoor pool. Photo Ed Halverson
With a goal of opening in Spring of 2025 the Queens Pool Committee have a lot of work ahead of them.
They hit the ground running in the last month.
Comprised of two council members, two members of Queens Community Aquatic Society and two members of the community who are pool users, the committee recently received a mandate to provide Region of Queens council with information and recommendations on the construction of a new outdoor pool.
They presented the first of those recommendations along with a proposed plan of action to council at the Jan 10 meeting.
Chief among those is where to build.
Committee Chair Deborah Herman-Spartinelli says Queens Place is the obvious choice for the new outdoor pool for many reasons.
“You’re talking about a facility that already has a huge lobby with a desk already there right by where you’d walk out to the pool. So, they can do the same thing you do with a card when you belong to the fitness centre. They can swipe it and go through and go right through to the pool and then the change rooms will be out there,” said Herman-Spartinelli.
“Plus you’re talking about costs too because you can share part of the wall of the [Queens Place] Emera Centre that’s already there, you can share the roof for solar panels and any air handling systems or anything that has to be done can be put on the roof.”
The group is proposing to build the pool alongside the fitness centre side of Queens Place.
They recommend a 6-lane, Olympic length as well as a side beach entrance with a gradual slope into the water which would be more accessible for children and anyone with mobility issues.
Herman-Spartinelli says new change rooms, separate from the ones used for the gym will be required to provide a wet-change area.
She says the location of the pool allows all the necessary mechanical equipment and potential solar power to be placed close to where it is needed.
Herman-Spartinelli says the committee is keen to use solar power so the pool can be built to a net-zero standard.
“To me it’s a no-brainer. If you’re going to build a pool for a region you should be putting solar in. It’s the best way to heat water,” said Herman-Spartinelli.
All of the recommendations and designs from the committee need to be approved by Region of Queens council before municipal staff issue tenders.
An anonymous donor is putting up the money to build the new outdoor pool in Queens.
The pool will be built with private funds then owned, maintained, and operated by the Region of Queens once construction is complete.
Herman-Spartinelli says the donor would like to see the pool in operation by the spring of 2025 and if all goes to plan, they should be able to meet that timeline.
Site Supervisor Jonathan Sheppard at Kejimkujik’s solar array. Photo Parks Canada
Power consumption at Kejimkujik is now as green as its renowned forests.
Since May, the national park and historic site has been generating enough power onsite using solar panels to meet the needs of campers in Jeremy’s Bay campground.
Site Supervisor at Kejimkujik, Jonathan Sheppard says this makes Keji the first park in Canada to go net-zero.
“The power that’s actually consumed by visitors and the number of visitors we have here is actually a hard category of greenhouse gas emissions to reduce because it’s up to individual choices and equipment and gear and stuff,” said Sheppard. “So, the principal for this one, for offsetting it, allows us to generate an equivalent amount of power so that when visitors come here, they know that their experience is powered by the sun and basically it’s a net-zero camping experience.”
Power is not stored at Keji but is sold to Nova Scotia Power and purchased back, creating a net-zero exchange.
Generating over 12,000Kw per month, the 100Kw solar array is made up of 272 photo-voltaic panels and covers a 40 x 60 metre area.
The array is located in a clearing near the front of the park out of view of visitors on the site of a former weather station.
Kejimkujik solar array viewed from above. Photo Parks Canada
Sheppard says the location was chosen after consultation with Mi’kmaq partners.
“They were involved in the archaeology around this project. We did that collaboratively,” said Sheppard. “They were very supportive of the benefits of this project but because we’re also a national historic site that’s designated so because of the Mi’kmaq cultural landscape, they were also interested in making sure that when you came into the park you didn’t see a big piece of infrastructure.”
The solar project was funded through an almost $600,000 Government of Canada investment to support greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts and clean technology.
Sheppard estimates at the rate the array is producing power, that investment will be paid off in 20 years.
And perhaps most importantly, over their projected 35-year lifespan, the panels will be responsible for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 3,300 tonnes, the equivalent of taking 1035 cars off the road.
Sheppard says since the pandemic people have sought connection with the outdoors and it’s important to make that experience as enjoyable and green as possible.
“There’s a direct link between the visitor’s experience here in the campground and the knowledge that their experience is powered entirely by the sun,” said Sheppard. “That, for us, provides a really neat connection between a visitor understanding their visit in the context of the larger picture, not only of protecting a national park but the work to mitigate against climate change as well, while they’re here.”
