Digby County, N.S., fire department transitions to solar power with provincial grant

The Smiths Cove Fire Department is pictured. (Courtesy of the Government of Nova Scotia)

The Smiths Cove Fire Department in Digby County, N.S., is transitioning to solar power for its energy needs.

The province has given $94,043 to the fire department for a new solar energy system, which is expected to meet about 97 per cent of its energy needs.

Jill Balser, minister of Service Nova Scotia and MLA for Digby-Annapolis, announced the government spending on Thursday.

“Volunteer fire departments are at the heart of so many Nova Scotia communities,” says Balser in a news release from the province. “They show up for us on our hardest days, and people depend on them.”

She says the money will help the Smiths Cove Fire Department lower energy costs and carbon emissions.

“That means more of their resources can go toward the essential services they provide,” she adds.

The province expects the switch to solar will save the department around $400,000 to $600,000 on its energy bill over the solar panels’ expected lifespan of 30 to 35 years.

“The savings we could see in utility costs equal out to the cost of a fire truck over the estimated lifespan of the solar panels in today’s dollars,” says Joshua Snyder, chief of the Smiths Cove Fire Department.

The department serves Smiths Cove and the surrounding area and acts as a shelter during extended power outages.

Juanita Spencer, CEO of the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities, says it’s an essential service that “continues to evolve to meet community needs.”

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