Roofs get assessed for age, durability, strength. Now, you can add solar energy to that mix.
As part of , AV俱乐部鈥檚 College of Sustainability is starting the 鈥済reen energy鈥� conversation with the Halifax community by asking them to look to their roofs.
Similar to Google Maps, faculty and students at the College of Sustainability have designed to search for their houses to see just how much solar potential they have.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an engagement tool,鈥� says John Evarts, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) student and one of the team members who developed the solar map for the city. 鈥淭his project is about encouraging folks to consider their options for solar, given the wonderful solar resource available to Halifax.鈥�
HRM鈥檚 Solar City project is a pilot program in which homeowners work with the city to make a transition to 鈥済reen energy鈥� by signing up to have solar panels installed on their homes.
Through this program HRM hopes to not only allow homeowners to save over $20,000, but they expect an average greenhouse gas reduction of 1,700 kg yearly.
鈥淪eventy per cent of energy is consumed within urban areas of the world,鈥� says Evarts. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the first place we need to look to make this transition.鈥�
鈥淟ook, I can see my house from here鈥�
Revealing this interactive map at the HRM鈥檚 Solar (City) Fiesta earlier last month, Haligonians had their first chance to digitally zoom in on their homes and streets and sign up for assessments to have their own solar panels installed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good base for more research,鈥� says Ray Jahncke, an analyst with Dal's GIS Centre and part of the collaborative design team of the solar map. 鈥淚t got people excited about what could be done.鈥�
Jahncke says the team was happy with the response; it encouraged about 100 people to sign up for site assessments on the spot.
The solar map is not the only tool sparking the discussion on green energy. Students in a capstone class for Dal鈥檚 Environment, Sustainability and Society program have partnered with the HRM鈥檚 Department of Energy to create the Sustain-A-Story video project.
Featuring short interviews and stories with local residents, these Sustain-A-Story videos will be shared online as visual demonstrations of how and why local Haligonians are making the switch to renewable energy.
One of the stories highlights the Solar City project and features a man who has had a solar system in his house for over 30 years.
鈥淥ur focus is to showcase people鈥檚 creative approaches to aspects of the community energy plan,鈥� says Brian Pendergast, a AV俱乐部 student working on the video project. 聽
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to create a form of social capital,鈥� he adds. 鈥淲e hope this will create a sense of identity that people can take own their own creative approaches or go off something like solar city.鈥�
ESS student and GEEN organizer Molly O'Ray (right) speaks with a local homeowner at Solar City Fiesta. (Debra Ross photo)
Cross-city collaboration
The Solar Fiesta was an opportunity for the students, faculty, city planners and the public of various backgrounds to collaborate on how to make Halifax more sustainable.
鈥淚 thought I had an understanding of solar energy, but going to the Solar Fiesta really opened my eyes to the different aspects,鈥� says Pendergast. 鈥淓veryone seemed to want to share a story with us. I think it was a big learning experience for everyone.鈥�