July 2016 - BCSEA Monthly - Summer's for Solar!

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Published on Thursday, 07 July 2016 19:15
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100% Renewable Energy by 2050 – coming to your town soon

As if the 2015 federal candidates debates weren’t exciting enough, for 2016 the Victoria Chapter has taken on the municipalities of southern Vancouver Island.

Inspired by the Renewable City Strategy of the City of Vancouver, we are asking the municipalities in our area to adopt a 2050 goal of meeting 100% of their energy use with renewables. And we mean all energy use in the community, not just municipal operations.

Towns and cities are leaders on energy issues. Last December, as nations met at the UN Climate Conference in Paris, 1,000 mayors from around the world stepped up with major... commitments on carbon pollution reduction and/or switching to renewable sources for their energy. Vancouver’s Gregor Robertson was honoured by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group for having the Greenest City Action Plan.

Municipal governments are mobilizing businesses and people to act on renewable energy and climate change. Since 2007, the US Mayors Climate Protection Center has promoted climate action policies. Similar work is being done in Europe and elsewhere. Osnabrück in Germany is pioneering the use of laser technology and thermal imaging to map the solar energy potentials and energy leakage of the roofs of the town. A key feature is that the town has persuaded banks to pay for the expensive data analysis, in expectation of lucrative loans to building owners wanting to install solar panels or improve the efficiency of their buildings.

We are not that far advanced on the Island, but the municipalities are trying to move forward. The District of Saanich has commissioned the BCSEA Victoria Chapter to develop a “pathway” for Saanich to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2050. Look for notice of a town hall meeting this fall, where we will to present our findings. The details will be specific to Saanich, but the concepts will be applicable to all the communities in the area, and we hope everyone will come.


There's more to read! Click here to read the full article.

Outgoing Directors

We would like to give thanks to Paul Save, who has left the BC Sustainable Energy Association's Board of Directors after serving his seven year limit.

Paul joined BCSEA through its Vancouver Chapter and later the Board of Directors in 2009. He has served as a member of multiple committees and as President of the Association in 2011. Paul has been a great source of positive support throughout his time with BCSEA.

Also leaving BCSEA's Board of Directors is researcher and AI developer Roy Ball. We would like to thank Roy for his time on the Board and commitment to the BCSEA.

Any vacancies in the association's Board of Directors will be filled at the next AGM, in the Fall of 2016.

Harnessing the Sun - BCSEA's next exciting free webinar!

Join BCSEA for the latest in its exciting free webinar series, Harnessing the Sun: The Future of Solar in BC, on July 26th from 12 - 1pm PST*. Click here to register!

Solar power is one of the world's fastest growing sources of renewably generated electricity. Efficiency is up and costs are down. Morocco has turned on the world's largest solar plant and SunPower achieved an incredible 24.1% efficiency rate with their latest solar panel - but what is BC doing to stay in the solar race?

This exciting, inspiring and educational webinar will discuss the rapid and extraordinary developments in global solar photovoltaic technology, and what such developments mean for renewable energy businesses, enthusiasts and installers across British Columbia. So join us for this free webinar, and have your burning solar power questions answered in a Q&A session with solar tech experts and BCSEA's own Policy Director Tom Hackney.

This webinar is sponsored by Avalon Mechanical Consultants Ltd.


*Please note this date is subject to change

From the Blog

BFortis' Net Metering Program: Transition to Sustainable Energy - or just too expensive?

Some net metering customers in south-central BC suffered a rude shock this April, when Fortis applied to the Utilities Commission to slash the rates it pays its net metering customers for annual net electricity they supply to the grid.

Fortis wants to change the rules to reflect what it calls the original purpose of the net metering program: i.e., to enable customers to offset their own consumption with their own renewable generation, rather than to provide a revenue generating opportunity for program participants.

Read more on the latest BCUC developments here.

YYJ Car Free Day with BCSEA Victoria!

The central core of downtown Victoria was a hive of pedestrian activity as Douglas Street was closed on Sunday, June 19th to make way for musicians, food vendors, artists and businesses and organizations of every description for the second annual Car Free Day.

Read more about BCSEA Victoria's Car Free Day here.


Kamplanning made pleasant with pizza!

The BCSEA Kamloops Chapter held two consultation meetings concerning an update to Kamloops' Official Community Plan, called KAMPLAN.

An official community plan is all about land use, with implications for transportation, housing, parks, and many other aspects of our lives. All of this relates to energy, of course. If your city is fairly dense with mixed-use neighbourhoods that include shops, schools and parks in addition to homes, you have the potential for people to walk or cycle near home. It's easier to build a good transit system in a city that doesn't have a lot of sprawl. So it's all interconnected.

Read more about BCSEA Kamloops' Pizza and Planning Night here!

In the News

  • Financial incentives and clear consciences drive the EV surge in the Arctic Circle. Read Article

  • New initiatives set by the "Three Amigos", could reignite Canada's clean-tech sector. Read Article

  • The amount of solar generated electricity stands to increase by sixfold by 2030! Read Article

  • Talk about torque! Swiss students break the record for acceleration: 0 - 100kph in 1.5 seconds! Read Article​

BCSEA Featured Member

The Strathcona BIA represents over 850 business and commercial property owners within our boundaries of Gore Avenue, Clark Drive, Railway Street, and Venables Street. The area is a broad mix of industrial, commercial, retail and residential zoning, with over 200 heritage-designated properties.

The SBIA is increasingly recognized for its sustainability initiatives and its collaborative approach to community endeavours. Strathcona – a thriving and unique Vancouver community, seen as a model of positive change and sustainability.

Read More

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