Solar Colwood Partnerships
Solar Colwood is founded on a collaborative approach, and support from many different partners.
The City of Colwood is very grateful to all of the partners for their ongoing support,
without which this program would not be possible.
BC Hydro rebates support ductless split heat pump installations in Colwood
Solar Colwood's solar hot water installer trainees
The City of Colwood is the program manager and lead for all aspects of the program.
Natural Resources Canada has generously provided $3.9 million in funding over 3 years to make this program possible.
The T’Sou-ke Nation are ‘the most solar community in Canada’, having completed extensive solar thermal and solar PV installations in their community (near Sooke, B.C.) through the T’Sou-ke Solar project. T’Sou-ke are contributing program advice, and will provide several experienced installers to assist with the solar installations.
Royal Roads University's primary roll in the Solar Colwood project is to provide research that supports program development and implementation, as well as to share its results with others. Through the Office of Sustainability and the School of Environment and Sustainability, students are working on projects that support the collaborative efforts between the City of Colwood the other Solar Colwood partners. Current studies include:
- Monitoring Changes in Household Energy Use Before and After the Installation of a Solar Hot Water System
- Monitoring Changes in Employment and Training Programs Related to Solar Hot Water Installations
- Understanding the public uptake and acceptance of a municipal green energy incentive program
Camosun College Pipe Trades Department is a local provider of Industry recognized training in the fields of plumbing, refrigeration, geothermal heating technician and solar thermal systems installer. Camosun College also provides advanced training through the Solar Thermal Residential Installer Course (see video) to prepare technicians for the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) exams. They are assisting with technical aspects of the Solar Colwood Program.
Horizon Technologies is a company that designs, develops, integrates and consults on Smart Grid and energy-efficiency related systems for prominent manufacturers, utilities, government agencies, developers, architects and builders. Along with their partners, TerraFirm Energy Management, IslandTransformations.Org Educational Society, Energy Solutions for Vancouver Island Society, Habitat Design + Consulting, The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, they are providing technical advice and support to Solar Colwood.
BC Hydro is providing technical advice and funding support for a wide range of program elements. They will be providing incentive funding, marketing support and trades training support for the ductless split pump program and home energy retrofits. BC Hydro's Sustainable Communities Program will also be co-funding the district energy feasibility study at Colwood Corners. They will also be providing technical support for the electric vehicle portion of the project and will be leveraging their wide array of existing Power Smart Programs for commercial, government and residential customers in Colwood. Lastly, BC Hydro’s Smart Metering and Infrastructure Program will complement the energy efficiency retrofits and energy conservation efforts through the installation of Smart Meters.
Fortis BC are also providing technical advice and funding support to the program. Fortis and BC Hydro are co-funding a study of district energy, to determine if this is a viable option for heating and cooling the Colwood Corners development, Royal Roads University, and perhaps other nearby sites.
League Assets are the lead developer for the Colwood Corners redevelopment, and its leading edge clean energy demonstrations.
Staff from various Ministries of the Province of British Columbia are providing technical advice on several aspects of the program development, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure. In addition, the Province’s LiveSmart program provides grants to reduce the cost of other energy-efficient retrofits, complementing Solar Colwood’s solar hot water incentives.
SolarBC is a program of the BC Sustainable Energy Association. The organization has helped homeowners, governments, businesses, First Nations and schools across British Columbia to install solar hot water technology and has worked to set up the infrastructure –including training, regulatory changes, awareness programs, and a network -- for the installation of solar hot water systems across the province. SolarBC designated Colwood as one of 32 “Solar Communities” in October 2010.
WestShore Chamber of Commerce is assisting with the community outreach and education for this program, through the Climate Action West Shore group.
Through Vancity, homeowners can undertake energy retrofits. – including solar installations – even if they haven’t got cash in the bank. Vancity’s Bright Ideas home financing provides a way for people to take out a low-interest, long-term loan, effectively paying for the retrofits from their energy savings. Borrow for up to 10 years with loans starting at $3,500 up to $20,000.
