To the Honourable Stephen McNeil and the other Honourable Members of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia:

It has come to our attention, as concerned citizens of Nova Scotia, that the Nova Scotia government is currently considering changes that would further complicate, undervalue and discourage the use of solar power in Nova Scotia, specifically by restricting the sizes of solar installations, and by reducing the rate that Nova Scotia Power pays to solar power producers.

In light of the reality of climate change, we have both a moral and practical imperative to acknowledge that the full long-term benefits of solar power far outweigh any short-term inconvenience to Nova Scotia Power Incorporated, its parent company Emera ($319 million in profit in 2014), or their private shareholders, and that we must do everything in our power to accelerate the installation of solar power generation systems in Nova Scotia.

Our responsibility to future generations compels us to move rapidly towards eliminating restrictions on solar installations and incentivizing them with a feed-in tariff (where solar users may sell power back to the grid at a price significantly higher than they pay for power from the grid). This model has enjoyed massive success in countries that are leading the green energy transition, such a Germany. For the reputation of our province, the legacy of this government, and for all of our futures, we urge a reversal of the aforementioned changes currently under consideration and offer our strong encouragement and support for positive changes to solar energy policy in Nova Scotia.