Second Solar Garden Coming to Sydney

The future of clean energy in Sydney is looking bright with a second solar garden coming to the community.

Sydney Solar will be built on Grand Lake 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.

“Nova Scotia is blessed with natural resources – including the sun – to power our green economy and move to clean electricity,” said John White, MLA for Glace Bay-Dominion, on behalf of Energy Minister Trevor Boudreau. “This new solar garden in Sydney means investment in the community, more green jobs, a greener grid and a chance for Nova Scotians to take some ownership of the move to clean energy.”

AI Renewables and the Multicultural Association of Cape Breton are partnering on the Sydney Solar project. The Province is contributing $340,000 to help build the solar garden, which will produce 1.7 megawatts.

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

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:

“At the Multicultural Association of Cape Breton, we are committed to building a stronger, more inclusive and sustainable future for all. Community solar gardens reflect the power of collective action – making clean, renewable energy that is more accessible to everyone, including newcomer families. By supporting initiatives like these, we not only help reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, but also ensure our diverse communities are actively shaping a greener, more equitable Nova Scotia.”
— Lan Zheng, President, Multicultural Association of Cape Breton

“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