ARICHAT: Richmond County Council has endorsed a proposed community solar project in the Kempt Road area, following a presentation from representatives of SolarBank Corp. during a special meeting held on May 22.
The initiative, led by AI Renewable, SolarBank, and Trimac Engineering, aims to develop a solar energy field along Highway 4. The project will be submitted under Nova Scotia’s Community Solar Program, which enables organizations and developers to establish solar gardens and offer electricity subscriptions to local consumers.
Mila Simon, Senior Project Coordinator with SolarBank, and Tracy Zheng, Development Officer with the company, told councillors that after evaluating multiple sites, Kempt Road emerged as the most viable location.
“It’s connecting to the distribution system, so after this solar project is installed, the grid reliability will be improved for the local community,” Zheng said.
In addition to strengthening the local power grid, the project is expected to offer economic benefits to subscribers, including an estimated two cent per kilowatt-hour savings on electricity – approximately 10 to 15 per cent off residential power bills.
“People can cancel anytime, and also there’s no incremental fee for them,” Zheng added.
The proposed solar installation will have a generation capacity of approximately 3.4 megawatts, with a 25-year contract. According to Simon, one megawatt of solar energy is enough to power about 131 homes in Nova Scotia.
“A site like this would be just under 450 homes, so I think this is a perfect size for the community and the nearby residents to hopefully be able to subscribe there and benefit,” she said.
As part of its application process, SolarBank is currently completing the required community engagement and municipal support activities, in addition to obtaining solar permitting. Once these prerequisites are fulfilled, the team plans to submit its formal proposal to the province, after which detailed engineering and construction would commence.
An initial public engagement session was held on May 21 at the Friends United Centre, and a second online public meeting is scheduled for May 28. Details and access to the meeting can be found at airenewable.ca/community-solar.
“The community sessions don’t stop after the sessions are completed,” Simon noted. “The contact information and phone number are always available.”
Subscription priority will be given to nearby residents, followed by marginalized communities. If additional capacity remains, the service will expand to adjacent communities and eventually to the broader public.
During the meeting, Councillor Amanda Mombourquette inquired about opportunities for local involvement in the project. Zheng confirmed the developers are actively seeking to engage local contractors and service providers.
“We hire from the local area as much as possible,” she said, noting the project will require workers for electrical installations, land clearing, maintenance, and other roles.
The Municipality of Richmond issued a letter of support for the initiative – one of the essential components required for the developers’ application to the provincial program.