Community Solar Program
The Community Solar Program helps community groups and organizations set up solar gardens on their properties and sell subscriptions to the electricity they produce from the solar gardens.
Community solar gardens
A community solar garden is a large area with many solar panels on it (like the rooftop of a large industrial building or land could become a community solar garden). A 1-megawatt community solar garden requires about 4 to 6 acres of land.
The electricity generated from a community solar garden goes into the province’s main electricity grid to help power buildings, homes and appliances of participating subscribers.
Benefits of community solar gardens
Community solar gardens provide many benefits, including:
- helping communities to get involved in developing renewable energy
- making renewable energy more accessible (even for people who wouldn’t be able to install solar panels, like renters, condos and people with shaded roofs)
- helping generate more clean energy (a 1-megawatt solar garden can power 131 homes per year)
- helping Nova Scotia reach its target of 80% renewable energyby 2030
- saving money on energy costs (subscribers get a credit on their electricity bill for the power generated by their share of the solar garden)
Project owners
Community solar garden owners build, own and operates a community solar garden to generate electricity for participating subscribers.
Project owners interested in becoming a community solar garden owner, need to apply to the Community Solar Program to set up a solar garden on their property and sell subscriptions to the electricity they produce from the solar garden.
Community groups and organizations need to apply to become a project owner. Eligible community groups and organizations include:
- businesses registered with Registry of Joint Stock Companies (as a partnership, company, co-operative or non-profit)
- community economic and development investment funds
- First Nation communities
- municipalities, towns and villages
- universities and colleges
Other community groups and organizations can partner with and eligible community group or organization on a joint application.
Your solar garden project needs to:
- be in Nova Scotia
- be in an area that Nova Scotia Power services
- have a nameplate capacity of at least 0.5 MWac and no more than 10 MWac
Application form and documents
- Community Solar Program Application (PDF)
- Community Solar Program Guide (PDF)
- Community Solar Program Information Webinar Slide March 2024 (PDF)
- Construction Plan Template, Financial Planning Template and Risk Assessment Template (Excel)
- Final Checklist (PDF)
- Provincial and Federal Permits and Approvals Resource (PDF)
Subscribers
Community solar garden subscribers are people and organizations who sign up to get their electricity from a community solar garden.
You can subscribe to a community solar garden if you’re:
- a current Nova Scotia Power customer (in good standing with Nova Scotia Power)
- not participating in any other solar programs with Nova Scotia Power (like net-metering)
- not already a subscriber in another community solar garden (you can only subscribe to 1 community solar garden)
Some project owners may choose to offer subscriptions only to members of their community or to people who live in a specific geographic area.
How a subscription works
You decide how much of your electricity usage you would like to get from solar. You can choose to offset (replace) just some of your electricity usage or all of it. Select the amount you want to offset on your subscriber application from 10% to 100%.
When you apply to become a community solar garden subscriber, Nova Scotia Power:
- reviews your past annual electricity use and expected annual electricity use
- figures out the maximum number of kilowatt hours you could offset (replace) with solar electricity each month
You continue to receive your regular power bill from Nova Scotia Power. A solar energy credit is included in the miscellaneous charges and credits section. Nova Scotia Power starts applying credits to your account the month after you become a subscriber.
Savings on your power bill
Nova Scotia Power measures the solar energy generated by the community solar garden once per month. Then Nova Scotia Power determines how much of the actual generation belongs to you.
The solar energy credit is based on the actual energy generated from the sun, so it varies each month based on the season and the weather. The value of the credit, 0.02 cents/kWh, is the same for every subscriber and doesn’t change for the life of your subscription.
Subscription changes
You can increase, decrease or cancel your subscription at any time by contacting your community solar garden. There’s no penalty for changing your subscription.
If you move, your subscription may be able to move with you. If you leave that community, your subscription may be cancelled. Your community solar garden can give you information on maintaining your subscription.
Program updates
Sign up to the Community Solar Program email list to get notified about program updates. To subscribe to the email list, send an email to sharedsolar@novascotia.ca.
Related information
- Community Solar Funding and Financing (PDF)
- How does large-scale solar work? (PDF)
- How much electricity will a community solar garden in Nova Scotia generate? (PDF)
- Nova Scotia Electricity Factsheet (PDF)
- SolarAssist
- What is the Community Solar Program? (PDF)
- What size community solar garden subscription is best for you? (PDF)
- What size should you make your community solar garden? (PDF)