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New tool helps Victoria building owners gauge solar power potential

Online resource developed by City of Victoria in partnership with UVic, UBC
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The City of Victoria is looking to help commercial and residential building owners more closely investigate the potential for using solar panels, with its new online Solar Rooftop Tool. (Black Press Media file photo)

Solar panels might soon be more prevalent on residential and commercial buildings in Victoria, thanks to a new tool designed to measure a building’s potential for generating electricity.

The Solar Rooftop Tool was developed by City of Victoria staff to assess the potential for power generation by placing solar panels on top of local buildings. The software has the capacity to determine how much a system might cost, what rebates are available and the options for financing such an installation.

With support from the University of Victoria and University of British Columbia, the tool was also developed to determine how much sunshine buildings in Victoria receive per year.

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While commercial buildings generally have more open area to work with on their rooftops, the online tool can also help single family homeowners in the city better determine their home’s suitability for generating power using sunshine.

“This tool will help residents who want to blaze a trail in the use of renewables or use their home to generate power,” Mayor Lisa Helps said in a release. In the face of climate change, the city is working to find solutions residents can use to make a difference, she added.

The region’s climate and the modern efficiency of solar panels are ample to generate electricity throughout the year, the city release stated.

For more information about the solar tool visit victoria.ca/SolarTool.


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