NS: Halifax NSCC welcomes new solar energy system

[HALIFAX, NS] - A massive solar energy system is being installed on the south wall of the new NSCC building on the Halifax waterfront.

The wall is more than 2,000 square feet, in plain view, yet virtually invisible. That’s because while the most visible portion of the SolarWall heating system looks very much like regular metal siding. It’s actually an engineered renewable energy system that Natural Resources Canada has identified as the simplest, most efficient and least expensive way to preheat outside air.

A 2,100 square foot SolarWall, projected to deliver more than 90,000 kWh of free heat each year, is being installed on the south wall of the new NSCC building on the Halifax waterfront. It is the first commercial-sized SolarWall in Halifax Regional Municipality. Photo courtesy of My Generation - Green Energy.

Public buildings are required to pull in huge volumes of fresh air, and for seven months of the year heating that fresh air can cost a lot of money without energy-saving measures in place such as a SolarWall. Each square meter of a SolarWall has the potential of delivering the same heat as a 500 watt heater. A system the size of the one at NSCC is like having almost 200 of these heaters — working for free.

The installation at NSCC is the first commercial-sized SolarWall® in Halifax Regional Municipality. A similar system has been incorporated into the design of the new academic building at Dalhousie University and is slated for installation later this year. A rooftop SolarDuct system will be incorporated into the new Mainland Common facility in the coming months.