Solar City program documents
Important links for solar city participants:
Energy Efficiency Equipment Participant Agreement
Resources for contractors
- The Halifax Regional Municipality has worked with the solar industry to streamline the permit process for Solar City installations and all other solar projects in the Halifax region. The municipality has created a Solar Collectors permitting brochure [PDF] to guide contractors through the permitting process for both residential and commercial projects.
- The Truss Plate Institute of Canada provides specifications for truss fabricators [PDF] to ensure structural loads associated with solar thermal and photovoltaic systems are addressed.
Resources for municipalities
- Other jurisdictions have expressed interest in replicating the Solar City program because there is potential for significant future development of renewable energy in many communities across Canada. The two steps that permitted property owners in the Halifax Regional Municipality to finance solar water heating systems were a provincial amendment to the Halifax Regional Municipal Charter, and the creation of By-Law S-500, respecting charges for the Solar City Program. See the provincial news release for more details.
Municipal corporate projects
- The municipality has worked hard to reduce its environmental footprint by installing solar technology on municipal buildings. These technologies include solar hot water (flat plate and evacuated tube), concentrated solar thermal (SolarBeam), solar hot air (solar wall and packaged collectors) and, more recently, solar photovoltaic. A list of municipally owned and operated systems is available.
Past research
- Dalhousie University research - Researchers at Dalhousie University analysed data collected from Solar City registrants in order to publish "Domestic hot water consumption estimates for solar thermal system sizing" in Energy and Buildings. This research offers insight into an area where there is currently not much real-world information.
- Green Power Labs Inc Report on solar water heating - Solar resource experts Green Power Labs Inc. undertook research to compile the Solar Water Heating Impact Assessment - Solar City Program report [PDF]. Data collected from Solar City registrants were used in combination with an assessment of the solar resource to evaluate renewable energy production, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and fuel cost reductions.
- Solar orientation planning - On April 16, 2012, the Environment and Sustainability Standing Committee directed staff to consider solar orientation and report back how the best practices for solar orientation should be included in the Regional Plan Five Year Review.