The district is going to get it done, just not as soon as originally planned.
Council set a date for achieving the goals of the Canadian Solar Cities Project Tuesday night, but it wasn’t as straightforward as it sounds.
The good news for those who support the initiative to become the fifth Solar City in Canada is that council made a firm commitment to making it happen at the Tuesday night council meeting. But those who support the initiative may have to settle for Squamish being further down the list of Canadian solar cities than fifth.
Council struggled with the decision of whether to put aside other council initiatives to meet the criteria of the project. It also discussed hiring a district employee to specifically deal with it and talked about pushing the date forward.
In the end, council voted to move the date of achieving the Canadian Solar Cities Project from this year to November 2018.
There are 10 criteria that the district has to achieve, and Tuesday night the district’s Gary Buxton, general manager of development services and public works, laid out what would have to happen for the district to meet the original date of fall 2016.
The trickiest criterion for the district to meet quickly is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 800 tonnes per year. District staff recommended reprioritizing other work such as a regional transportation and a zero waste project, initiatives that would also reduce emissions in the long run.
Councillor Karen Elliott said that almost all of what the solar cities project requires is set to happen already, and she would hate to see productive initiatives delayed to get the moniker sooner. “I want to satisfy the solar cities requirements, but I don’t want to necessarily put the pressure on us to be the fifth city,” she said. “I am OK with being the sixth city if we follow our strategic plan and meet these criteria in a logical way, because we have a big picture to think about.”
Matt Blackman of the Squamish Alternative Energy Group agreed Tuesday night with moving the end date for the solar cities project. “We are not interested at all in seeing those things delayed in any way, shape or form,” he told council.
Blackman originally submitted the Squamish solar cities application on behalf of the group, but the Canadian Solar Cities Project sent the application back asking that the municipal government be more involved.
Councillor Susan Chapelle questioned the value of being a solar city at all, asserting solar is not the most productive renewable energy goal for the community.
“I want to point out the Natural Resources Canada map of Squamish doesn’t support that Squamish is a region that supports solar, and that doesn’t mean that… it is not a great resource, because it is part of the solution, but if we start investing in putting money and resources towards an alternative energy that is not available in your district, then it doesn’t work,” she said. The Natural Resources map shows Squamish as an area with less sun exposure than much of the rest of the country.
Blackman argued that solar is viable in Squamish. He said the map showed a single one-kilowatt solar PV panel will generate between 900 and 1,000 kilowatt hours per year in Squamish. The average home uses approximately 10,000 kilowatt hours per year, according to Blackman.
Mayor Patricia Heintzman said the solar cities project sets parameters for the community that are not just symbolic.
“They are really programs to… provide an impetus for communities to move proactively,” she said. “They are using solar as sort of the catchphrase but ultimately solar is the pilot project. Solar is not necessarily the goal. The goal is to achieve a [greenhouse gas] reduction.”
Blackman said he was happy with the firm date set for November 2018. The solar cities application will now be resubmitted, he said.
