This week Mahone Bay’s council listened to a presentation on a potential solar garden that would supply around 18 per cent of the town’s electricity.
The project was presented was by AREA who are a company owned by the towns of Mahone Bay, Berwick, and Antigonish.
Mayor David Devinee says the site would be built by AREA employees from Berwick who have lots of experience in the field, He says “AREA have become the local experts on solar power and they say once installed they would require very little maintenance.”
The timing is also ideal according to the mayor who says that they are seeking funding from federal and provincial costs that would make the project feasible for the town.
They estimate that 40 per cent of the project could be funded from the federal Green Stream of Infrastructure Canada’s Investing in Canada Plan, working out to $1.8 million. Provincially they are eligible for matching funds based on a bilateral infrastructure agreement, which amounts to $1.49 million.
The total cost is estimated at $4.4 million, meaning the town would need to come up with another $1.2 million.
If the grants are not awarded the project becomes unfeasible according to the mayor, “The cost per unit for power would be too high if we don’t get the funding, which is why we’re doing this now.”
Joint applications for the federal funding are now being prepared by the towns of Mahone Bay, Berwick, and Bridgewater. If approved they will then seek the provincial funding, after which the councils will bring the project up for municipal approval.
Devinee also says the cost could become even lower for the town, “We want to let residents invest in the program, so they can generate their own power and be self sufficient.”
A preliminary site is being examined now and the Mayor says it is a mostly uninhabited part of the community with a brownfield property nearby.
The property which is owned by RPS Composites Ltd is located on Fauxburg Road.
Renewable energy has been a high priority for municipal governments, especially since the province mandated that municipalities need to generate 5 per cent of their power from solar by 2025.
Currently, the town utilizes wind as its primary renewable but the situation is not ideal according to the mayor, “Our wind farm is in West Hants so we pay Nova Scotia Power a transmission fee to get that electricity to us.”
If the solar project is completed the town’s power would be up to 60 per cent renewable. The Ellershouse Wind Farm produces about 42% of the towns power supply and the remainder is imported from NB Power which they estimate is 37.1% from renewable sources based on available information.
The mayor says these projects are generally well supported by the community as generally, he thinks Mahone Bay residents are very concerned about the environment.
To find out more you can read the full presentation online.
