Meadowview Solar Energy Feasibility Study

The Municipality of the County of Kings will conduct a feasibility study to determine whether they can develop the 18-acre site of a former landfill to a 4 megawatts brightfield with photovoltaic (PV) panels. Components of the proposed feasibility study will include identification of optimal PV panels and related infrastructure, financial modeling, power purchase agreements, electrical storage, transmission and distribution requirements, a governance structure designed to support expansion into other green energy projects, and the sharing of net profits through a form of social dividend. The Meadowview site is located within 2km of the largest urban centre in the Municipality, and is directly adjacent to a large military base and regional hospital. The proximity of the site to these institutions offers the potential to achieve very low transmission losses in delivering a significant amount of clean electricity to major customers. The Meadowview Community Development Association proposed the project, which would be the first brownfield-to-brightfield conversion in the Province, as well as the first utility-scale PV operation in Nova Scotia. The primary expected environmental benefit targeted by the Meadowview Brightfield project is the improvement of air quality, as the majority of energy of Nova Scotia is generated through carbon based sources. The 4 megawatts of energy generated by the Meadowview Brightfield also would provide significant greenhouse gas reductions, with a reduction of between 124 and 149 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalents per year. Over the projected 30-year life of the PV array, these savings would amount to between 3,718 – 4,461 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalents. This is roughly equal to taking between 800-950 passenger cars off of the road for one year, or the amount of carbon absorbed by 4,350-5,250 acres of forests in one year. The Integrated Community Sustainability Plan and the Kings 2050 Municipal Climate Change Action Plan both prioritize sustainable green energy and reduction of greenhouse gasses, while Council has identified the Meadowview brightfield as a top priority in their proposed 2018 strategic plan. Community benefits include the development of the highest-priority brownfield site, investment of dividends from the operation in community infrastructure and municipal projects, and the demonstration of corporate social responsibility on the part of the Municipality. (Project description from original funding application)