Community Solar Program

The Community Solar Program helps community groups and organizations set up solar gardens on their properties and sell subscriptions for the clean electricity they produce.

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 clean energy
  • making clean 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% clean energy by 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 for the electricity they produce. 

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 an 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

Deadline or important dates

Program opening: 6 October 2025

How to apply

Complete the Program Application Form (make sure to check the application for details on all required supporting documents). Send your completed application and supporting documents by email.

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)

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 you would like to get from solar. You can choose to replace just some of your electricity or all of it. Select the amount you want to replace 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 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/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.

Contact information

Department of Energy
Community Solar Program

sharedsolar@novascotia.ca

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