District of North Vancouver
South Facing District Soaks Up The Challenge
The District of North Vancouver is located on the North Shore of the Burrard Inlet, in an area of rugged and often steep terrain. Whilst being a community represented by a forested character, generally speaking the majority of the municipality has a southern exposure providing a significant opportunity for passive solar access and orientation. This orientation presents other opportunities such as active solar energy capture.
The North Shore, being at the foot of the Coastal Mountain Range has a higher than average annual rainfall when compared to the rest of the lower mainland and has a reputation as wet and cloudy. However, the climate is on average hotter and sunnier than many European cities that have a significant uptake on solar hot water heating. To this extent, the District of North Vancouver, with its forested character is considered to be an ideal candidate for the SolarBC Program as the success of the program here would indicate that it would be successful in most, if not, all BC communities.
Among the District’s initiatives are the inclusion of solar in the new green building policy, the consideration of financial tools to promote solar hot water, training of permitting staff to facilitate the installation of systems, inclusion of solar awareness within the Climate Change Action Plan consultation program and installation of at least a system on one municipal building.
