Community Solar Garden Project
Visit: https://www.airenewable.ca/community-solar/modl-solar-project-oakhill/ for the online meeting link.
Update: September 23, 2025
Councils Approve Transfer of Oakhill Community Solar Garden Project
NOVA SCOTIA — Councils for the District of Lunenburg, the District of Shelburne, and the Municipality of Argyle have approved motions to transfer their Community Solar Program application for the 7 MW Oakhill Community Solar Garden to AI Renewable Fund, with PowerBank as the developer and builder. The approvals are conditional on the signing of an agreement with AI Renewable Fund to ensure that the three municipalities are reimbursed their eligible pre-development costs within 12 months of a provincial contract award.
If the proponent wins a contract under the provincial Community Solar Program, residents will benefit from a no-cost subscription model that provides a two cents per kWh bill credit. Equity access provisions under the program will remain a priority.
“Our Councils are committed to finding ways to deliver renewable energy opportunities to our residents,” said Mayor Elspeth McLean-Wile, District of Lunenburg. “By transferring this application to a qualified private proponent, we ensure that residents still see the benefits of community solar, municipalities are reimbursed for their upfront costs, and future financial risks are reduced as the private proponent is able to leverage federal Investment Tax Credits.”
“The Municipality of Argyle has a history of supporting renewable energy opportunities, and this time we were grateful to work alongside the District of Shelburne and Lunenburg in this solar development. Through the application process, we learned that private industry could provide a much more cost-efficient delivery of a solar energy initiative. We thank our municipal partners for the collective effort, and we are equally confident that this transition is in the best interest to our taxpayers,” said Warden Nicole Albright, Municipality of the District of Argyle.
“We are deeply grateful to the Councils for their trust. We are committed to honouring the community-focused vision for this project and delivering its significant environmental and economic benefits to the local residents,” said CEO Aaron Rotenberg, AI Renewable.
The Oakhill Community Solar Garden is planned for the former Bowater sawmill site at 283 Oakhill Road. The 7 MW project would generate enough energy to power about 1,200 homes, avoiding approximately 6,000 tonnes of CO₂e per year.
AI Renewable Fund and PowerBank bring significant local experience, having already been awarded three Nova Scotia Community Solar projects. Their ability to deliver multiple projects in the province creates procurement and construction economies of scale that municipalities alone cannot achieve. They have also proposed another community solar garden in the New Germany area of the District of Lunenburg, which, if successful, could make the municipality home to two community-scale solar projects.