What's New in Vancouver

There is still time to take advantage of the incentive in Vancouver for installing solar hot water on new residential builds. Currently the city of Vanocuver is financing up to 50 per cent, about $3500, of the cost of installing a solar hot water system. The incentive will be available for 15 months to 50 new houses on a first-come, first-served basis. It is a partnership between the City of Vancouver, SolarBC, Terasen Gas and Offsetters, a carbon asset management company and supplier of carbon offsets. SolarBC is currently distributing the funding.

Gregor Robertson is no stranger to sustainable living. As mayor of Vancouver he is working hard to establish the city internationally as the Green Capital but has been a green thinker for a long time, as the original co-founder of the organic juice company Happy Planet. So when it came to the decision to install solar hot water on his home in 2006 it was, as he puts it, just another "logical investment."

The Net Zero building in Vancouver's Olympic Village proved to be a site many were curious to get a closer look at, as a tour was conducted during the BC Solar Days events in Vancouver on May 28. The City's Sustainable Development Program Manager David Ramslie took the public on a viewing of the impressive solar roof.

SolarBC would like to give a huge thank-you to the communities and organizations that participated in this year's activities and for their hard work in organizing and implementing their Solar Days events, all of which has been a fantastic success on a whole. As well, all of our homeowners who hosted the open houses deserve a province-wide round of applause! Many were not expecting the huge crowds that came out and for their generosity and hospitality, as well as their enthusiasm in sharing their solar experiences with others we are very grateful.

Please keep an eye on our website for future pictures of all the events, which we will be posting as we get them in.

Tour of Olympic Village Net Zero solar roof. This is your opportunity to see the 3000+ square foot evacuated tube solar hot water system on the roof of the Olympic Village Net Zero Building.

Join David Ramslie, the City of Vancouver's Sustainable Development Program Manager as he talks about Canada's first Net Zero multi-unit residential building, and be some of the first people to view the rooftop solar installation and green roof up close.

We hope you are as excited as we are for this year’s BC Solar Days!

Join the City of Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver for two Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies on May 28th that will be kicking off BC Solar Days.

SolarBC and nine Solar Communities are hosting the first annual BC Solar Days, May 28-29, 2010. This province-wide solar celebration runs in conjunction with Europe’s annual solar week, which sees over 5000 activities in 10 countries across Europe. In BC we will be hosting community expos, children’s fairs, solar open houses and tours, workshops and student solar competitions. Join us in this celebration. And help spread the word about solar energy in our communities.

Four mayors and one chief have installed solar hot water on their homes in BC and most recent to join the solar revolution is Mayor Sharon Shepherd, in Kelowna. "I have been an advocate of solar for our city and felt I should look at the opportunity to do it in my own home," she says. Mayor Shepherd is no stranger to solar - when she and her husband first purchased their home in Kelowna in the late 70s, they installed solar to an outdoor pool. Back then, she said, solar was a new technology that was getting a lot of attention but the attention dwindled in the 80s. "It’s been reintroduced so we’re enthused about having it on the home."