SolarBC

SolarBC has grants available for 20 local governments for installations of solar hot water systems on operations buildings such as pools, recreation centres, fire halls and city halls.

SolarBC is providing an easy one-stop shop to find matching grants for up to 50% of costs, with up to $40k from SolarBC and $400k from NRCan. Additional capital grants exist from other sources, to potentially provide funding greater than 50%. And there are grants available for solar feasibility studies from MCD.

District of North Vancouver residents have reason to gloat to their neighbours with the announcement that the municipality has been designated a "solar community" by the province of British Columbia.

The title, bestowed upon the district at last month's meeting of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, doesn't actually mean the district produces solar energy, but rather that it will receive $20,000 to promote its use (specifically in the form of solar hot water systems) within the community. The municipality will also have access to up to $40,000 to install a solar hot water system on a public building.

British Columbia’s abundant hydropower means our hands stay almost clean of dirty electricity imports. But what most people don't know is that BC’s hands are already dirty for another reason: the province still relies heavily on a carbon-emitting fossil fuel for most heating and hot water needs. Every hot shower, load of laundry, dishwasher cycle and notch up on the thermostat requires thermal energy, and here in BC, most homes use natural gas to supply it.

The provincial government recently invested $25 million in biofuels and bioenergy as alternatives to natural gas, but some experts say the government should be doing more to reduce the demand for thermal energy needs in the first place.