New Solar Garden Coming to Annapolis County

The future of clean energy in Brooklyn, Annapolis County, is looking bright with a new solar garden coming to the community.

Brooklyn Solar will be built on Brooklyn Road as part of the Province’s Community Solar Program. The program allows people to subscribe to solar gardens for clean electricity at a reduced cost.

“Solar power is one of the many made-in-Nova Scotia solutions that’s helping us power our green economy and move toward clean energy,” said David Bowlby, MLA for Annapolis, on behalf of Energy Minister Trevor Boudreau. “This new community solar garden in Brooklyn takes advantage of our natural resources to attract investment, create jobs, get more clean electricity on our grid and make Nova Scotians proud about being part of the solution.”

AI Renewables and Potlotek First Nation are partnering on the Brooklyn Solar project. The Province is contributing $960,000 to help build the solar garden, which will produce 4.8 megawatts.

The company is also partnering with other organizations to build solar gardens in West Petpeswick, Halifax Regional Municipality and Sydney.

The first solar garden in the program launched in the fall at Pine Tree Park Estates in Sydney. It is supplying 555 kilowatts of solar energy to 29 residential and commercial subscribers in facilities owned by New Dawn Entreprises.

The Province created the Community Solar Program to provide people who cannot install their own solar panels the option to buy solar power from a community provider. The reasons why people cannot generate solar power vary, including lack of roof space, too much shade, living in an apartment, condo or other shared housing arrangement, or cost.

The Community Solar Program advances Action 18 in in Our Climate, Our Future: Nova Scotia’s Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth. The government is committed to introducing at least 500 megawatts of new local, renewable energy by 2026 and an additional 50 megawatts of new community solar to be built over five years.

The plan aims to create a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable future for all Nova Scotians. It includes initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, switch to clean energy, create a clean economy, make homes and buildings energy efficient and able to stand up to the impacts of climate change, and help Nova Scotians adapt to the changing climate.

Quotes:

“Potlotek’s involvement in clean energy is a powerful step towards honouring the land and ensuring a thriving future for generations to come, embodying the spirit of environmental stewardship and Indigenous continuity.”
— Tahirih Paul, Economic Development Officer, Potlotek First Nation

“We’re honoured to be selected to contribute to Nova Scotia’s community solar initiative. In collaboration with SolarBank and Trimac Engineering, we’re proud to play this important role in delivering clean, affordable energy to communities across Nova Scotia. With these community solar projects, we are transforming the vision of accessible clean energy into tangible reality – empowering communities through solar power while fostering lasting partnerships grounded in sustainability and shared purpose.”
— Aaron Rotenberg, CEO, AI Renewables

Quick Facts:

• one megawatt of electricity can power more than 100 homes for a year; each community solar garden can produce from 0.5 to 10 megawatts of power
• eligible groups can work together to build and own a solar garden
• subscribers can be residential or commercial; they get a solar energy credit of $0.02 per kilowatt hour on their power bill for energy generated by their subscription
• the provincial funding is part of $10.5 million that the Province has given to Net Zero Atlantic to manage a grant program for building solar gardens
• the Department is updating the program based on experience from the first year; proponents should hold new applications until June when updates are done

Additional Resources:

Community Solar Program: https://energy.novascotia.ca/renewables/community-solar-program

News release – Canada’s First Project in Subscription-Based Community Solar Garden Program to Launch in Cape Breton: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2024/10/17/canadas-first-project-subscription-based-community-solar-garden-program-launch-cape

Nova Scotia’s 2030 Clean Power Plan: https://beta.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/documents/1-3582/nova-scotia-clean-power-plan-presentation-en.pdf

Our Climate, Our Future: Nova Scotia’s Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth: https://climatechange.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/ns-climate-change-plan.pdf