The municipality has signed an agreement with Renewall Energy to receive renewable wind energy through their Renewable to Retail licence. Once the Mersey River Wind Farm is online, this supply of clean electricity will result in a 24% reduction in the municipality’s carbon dioxide emissions.
The agreement helps us meet the goals of HalifACT, our long-term climate action plan, which commissions the municipality to support alternative energy sources in order to transition away from the fossil fuels that cause climate change. Purchasing renewable energy is an essential part of achieving HalifACT’s target of net-zero municipal operations by 2030.
Each megawatt of wind energy can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 2,500 tonnes a year.
Affordability and renewables
Electrifying our infrastructure with clean energy also helps the municipality save money. Since Renewall’s rates are less expensive than current market rates and will not go up by more than one per cent a year for the next 20 years, the municipality will be able to reduce costs on the roughly $9 million we spend annually on electricity.
Renewall Energy is part of the Province of Nova Scotia’s Renewable to Retail Program, which began in 2015. Renewall’s first wind farm will eventually operate 33 turbines and generate 148 MW of electricity. Their licence, granted by the UARB in 2021, will allow Nova Scotians to acquire up to 100% of their electricity from local renewable energy sources.
Federal regulations require coal-based electricity generation to end by 2030. Photo: Wikipedia.