HAKAI Energy Solutions

We are so looking forward to this event, taking place on Saturday, June 22nd, right here in Cumberland! Tickets are available for purchase now.

Cumberland Forest The Cumberland Forest is a beautiful forest on Vancouver Island. This forest is privately owned and s

Cumberland Home & Garden Tour 2024 coming up June 22nd!

Join the Cumberland Forest Society and friends for a day long exploration of gardens, urban farms, built spaces, studios, homes, cottages, community gathering places that share the story of building community resilience! The 2024 Cumberland Home & Garden Tour takes place on Saturday June 22 from 9 am till 5 pm in the legendary Village of Cumberland.

This fun-filled tour explores ways that villagers are conserving and capturing water, going solar, growing food, small scale farming, exploring permaculture, creating art, raising bees and chickens, creating housing security, making shade, bringing people together, protecting and restoring old buildings, and innovating with modern builds. Come discover the many ways we respond to cultural, social, environmental, economic and climate change as individuals, neighbourhoods and as a community.

From drought gardens and fire smart buildings, from cold plunge tubs to bee hives, from food sheds to music venues, and from accessibility to intergenerational living - this tour is all about how we build connection, community and resilience through the built environment. With over 20 properties featured on this year's tour, things are shaping up for an exciting day. You can hop on your bike and do the entire tour on two wheels, or follow the map for a series of "park and walk" locations. Recruit your friends and head out in a group. Fill your thermos up with an icy summer beverage and enjoy a delightful day wandering through the Village.

100% of proceeds from the annual Cumberland Home & Garden Tour supports the land protection and stewardship work of the Cumberland Community Forest Society (CCFS). For 24 years the CCFS has been purchasing private timber lands and dedicating them to the community as parkland. To date they have secured 545 acres and they're not done yet!

The 2024 Cumberland Home & Garden Tour is presented with the generous support from Facet Custom Builders, Standing Bear Construction, Commonhouse Design, Megan Trumble Design, HAKAI Energy Solutions, Outback Nursery & Garden Centre, Katrina Kaboly - Royal LePage, British Columbia Fire Smart. Tickets are on sale now at https://cumberlandforest.tickit.ca/

🌞7kW photovoltaic system with array skirting on a beautiful home in the Comox Valley!

Ask our team about adding array skirting to your solar panel installation. Contact us via the links in our bio.

Photo credit: Ali Roddam

Schedule for this weekend's events!

We are proud sponsors of this weekend's Stokefest - Mountain Bike Festival, happening in our hometown, Cumberland, B.C.

Stop by to chat with our team at our booths - Friday night 6-9pm on 3rd Street, and Saturday, 10am-6pm at the Cumberland Village Park!

There's something for everyone to enjoy, visit the Stokefest VI page for further event details, and event times...

Gravity MTB
NOBL Wheels
Western Bike Company
Stokefest VI
ROAM Media Inc.

Stop by our booth at the Stokefest VI Jump Jam, this Saturday! Events start at 9:30am, with something for everyone to enjoy! Check out the event page for more details. See you there!

COMPETITORS and SPECTATORS! 🫵

Here is our official Jump Jam schedule. If you haven’t signed up yet! There’s still time! If you’re more of a game-time-decision maker… you can register up on “game day” given there’s still room in your category.

Spectators … we will see you for a beer at noon (19+)😎

🔍Sneak peak at another local project ongoing in the Comox Valley! School buildings, as well as other municipal infrastructure, offer ample, unobstructed roof space for solar arrays. This provides ideal conditions for maximum solar energy yield.

The Glacier View school will soon be producing its very own renewable energy from solar photovoltaics.

Comox Valley Schools

New solar arrays are going up at Glacier View this week!

All power generated is used to offset the power required to run the building.

If excess power is generated relative to demand then the excess power goes back into the grid.

We’re proud to partner with HAKAI Energy Solutions, the largest solar energy company owned & operated in British Columbia, on a range of critical off-grid solar projects in Canada! Hakai Energy excels in small-scale containerized generation systems for remote applications, along with off-grid power systems for lodges & cabins, & even solar-powered buoys for scientific marine research. The Morningstar TriStar MPPT, ProStar MPPT & SunKeeper SK-6 controllers are now standard equipment in Hakai Energy’s smaller off-grid projects.

“With the smaller systems, we started with other brands of charge controllers which were OK, but ultimately ended up standardizing on Morningstar & now wouldn’t even bother using anything else. For small-scale remote systems, Morningstar is our go-to brand…Our customers thrive on & love data—& Morningstar provides it!” - James McPhail, Hakai Energy, Network & Telemetry Division

Learn more about these project: https://bit.ly/43Zaio0. Learn more about Hakai, which partners with the non-profit Tula Foundation, & is COR certified through the BC Construction Safety Alliance.

The Hakai crew have been busy working around the Town of Comox, constructing multiple commercial-scale solar energy projects.
In the past few weeks, crews constructed a 12.7 kWdc solar array on the roof of the Comox Fire Rescue Fire Hall, located on Noel Ave. Across the street, Hakai built a 55.5 kWdc solar array on the roof of the Comox Community Centre. This week, the team is wrapping up construction of the 121.03 kWdc system at the Comox Valley Airport, on Knight Road. It’s an exciting time in the Comox Valley, we are thrilled to play an active role in assisting our community transition to renewable solar energy.

Here’s a sneak peak of some of those systems, demonstrating our crews in action.

Interested in harnessing the power of the sun for your commercial or municipal building? Reach out to our team today. Visit: https://linktr.ee/hakaienergysolutions

5 facts about Grid-Tied Solar Photovoltaics (referred to as GTPV in the solar industry).

Visit our website to learn more, or reach out to schedule a free quote.

It feels like yesterday that we installed this home solar PV system on a property just down the road from our headquarters, here in the Village of Cumberland. The system has generated clean, emissions-free energy for the past 2 years, and is expected to operate for a total of 25-30 years. Not only do the homeowners save on their electricity costs, they are actively participating in the transition to renewable energy on Vancouver Island. In doing so, this action increases the value of their home. We are proud to be a contributing part of growth in sustainable energy in the Cumberland community.

Learn more:

Coniston Cresent, Cumberland - Hakai Energy Solutions In the summer of 2021, the Hakai team designed and installed a residential solar system for a home in the village of Cumberland.

The Chilton Regional Arena in Port McNeill, BC is home to a 100kW solar array, and produces roughly 100,000kWh of electricity per year. The solar PV system was developed in two stages, the initial stage, commissioned in 2017, consisted of a 7kW solar PV system which was designed to offset the electrical demand of the Zamboni ice resurfacer. In 2022, Hakai expanded the system’s DC capacity to what it is today, 100kW.

Now, not only does the Chilton Arena offset their zamboni, they also utilize the capacity of the sun to power a portion of the arena’s electrical loads. This renewable energy system reduces greenhouse gas emissions and provides financial savings on energy bills for the Regional District of Mount Waddington. Learn more about this innovative project by clicking the link below.

https://hakaienergysolutions.com/regional-district-of-mount-waddington-chilton-arena/

Today, as we come together to celebrate the vibrant spirit and rich diversity of Canada, we’d like to take a moment to honour and recognize the Indigenous communities who have been stewards of this land for millennia.

In acknowledging Canada's history, we acknowledge that it is rooted in the heritage and deep connections to the land of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. Their cultures, wisdom, and resilience have shaped this nation in profound ways, and we are grateful for the opportunity to operate and thrive on their traditional territories.

Hakai believes that sustainability is not just about harnessing the power of the sun; it is about building strong, meaningful relationships with the communities we serve. We are dedicated to working collaboratively with Indigenous communities, recognizing their inherent rights, and actively seeking their guidance and knowledge as we continue on our renewable energy journey.

We understand that the path to a greener future must be built upon respect, trust, and inclusivity. Our responsibility is to ensure that our actions contribute to the well-being of the communities we operate in. We are committed to engaging in meaningful partnerships that support economic opportunities and preserve cultural heritage for Indigenous peoples.

On this Canada Day, let us not only celebrate this nation but also reflect on the work that remains to be done. Let us acknowledge the systemic challenges faced by Indigenous communities and commit ourselves to reconciliation, understanding, and the dismantling of barriers.

We respectfully acknowledge that the land on which we work is the Unceded Traditional Territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, the traditional keepers of this land. We are grateful for the opportunity to live and work on this territory and strive to be responsible caretakers of the land, water, and resources entrusted to us.

Are you curious about the benefits of solar energy? Check out one of Hakai’s largest residential grid-tied solar energy projects in Lantzville, BC. Learn how we helped this Lantzville property owner save on energy costs and reduce their carbon emissions.

Click the link to read more: https://hakaienergysolutions.com/projects/eby-road-lantzville/

Eby Road, Lantzville - Hakai Energy Solutions In February 2022, Hakai commissioned their largest residential roof-mounted system to date, in Lantzville, BC.

Check out this municipal-scale solar project in Lillooet, BC!

In 2020, we installed a whopping 100kW of Solar on the District of Lillooet’s R.E.C. building. This project highlights our commitment to building sustainable, renewable energy systems for communities.

Click the link to learn more about this innovative project and the impact it will have on the community.

https://hakaienergysolutions.com/municipal-scale-solar-project-lillooet-bc/

Municipal Scale Solar Project, Lillooet - Hakai Energy Solutions Located on the Traditional Territory of the St’át’imc Nation, the R.E.C. Centre presented itself as the ideal existing infrastructure to host a solar photovoltaic array.

We are pleased to share that Hakai Energy Solutions is now a COR Certified company though the BC Construction Safety Alliance! The Certificate of Recognition is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes companies who develop and implement health and safety systems that meet an industry standard. The health, safety and wellbeing of Hakai employees continues to be the number one priority in all company operations.

Learn more about the program here: https://www.bccsa.ca/COR----Overview.html?
Or visit their page BC Construction Safety Alliance

Did you know that the 2023 Federal Budget in Canada has introduced two new tax credits to support renewable energy adoption?

The Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit provides a 30% refundable tax credit for homeowners for the cost of investments in solar PV and energy storage technologies.

Meanwhile, the newly announced Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit offers a refundable 15% tax credit on the capital costs of renewable energy investments for Indigenous communities, municipally-owned utilities, and Crown corporations.

These tax credits provide businesses and communities the opportunity to invest in clean energy solutions and contribute to a low-carbon future in Canada.

Contact a representative at Hakai Energy Solutions to learn more.

We're . Visit hakaienergysolutions.com/careers to learn more.

Take your clients project to the next level with a custom turnkey solar energy system.

Reach out to learn more about our in house 'Solar Energy Systems for Home Builders & Designers' course run at our head office in Cumberland.

Hiring opportunity alert! We are looking to hire Electrical Apprentices, Solar Installers and a Procurement & Inventory Control Manager. Please visit HakaiEnergySolutions.com/Careers for more details and information on how to apply.

On Tuesday, June 28th, we had the pleasure of participating in the Town of Comox's Climate Action Showcase. The event shared information on local climate action initiatives and highlighted Comox Valley organizations and businesses who conduct sustainable practices.
We had the opportunity to speak with event participants about the solar industry, residential grid-tied PV systems, and share information on the Federal Greener Homes Grant. To learn more and speak with a member of our team, visit HakaiEnergySolutions.com or call 888-604-3128

We want to sincerely thank The Town of Comox and Urban Systems Ltd. for hosting this wonderful event!

See you tomorrow at the Climate Action Open House!

The Town of Comox encourages all residents to come out to the Climate Action Open House next Tuesday, June 28, from 3 - 7 p.m. at the Comox Community Centre. For all the details on the event, visit https://bit.ly/3HRFTyI

You may have already heard about the Canada Greener Homes Grant program, which offers up to $5,000 on eligible energy retrofits. The federal government has now released another phase of the Greener Homes program, the Greener Homes Loan. This program offers interest-free financing in addition to the Canada Greener Homes Grant to help homeowners complete some of the more major retrofits recommended by your energy advisor.

Do solar PV installations qualify under the Greener Homes program eligible retrofits? Yes!

Quick Facts about the Greener Homes Loan:
Minimum loan of $5,000, Maximum loan of $40,000
Repayment term: 10 years, interest-free
Loan type: Unsecured personal loan on approved credit
A maximum of one loan is available per eligible property and homeowner.

The loan can only help you finance eligible products and installations that are part of a retrofit that is both recommended by an energy advisor and eligible for the grant. Solar is eligible!

To begin work on your home, a portion of the loan can be delivered to you upfront. The balance of the loan will be delivered upon successful completion of the retrofits, and verification through a post-retrofit evaluation.

To learn more about the grant & loan program, visit the Canada Greener Homes Webpage: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/canada-greener-homes-grant/canada-greener-homes-loan/24286

To find a certified energy advisor in your area: https://betterhomesbc.ca/ea-results/?ptype=pqeas&ea-project-types=renovating-a-home&ea-locations=Cumberland -results

Reach out to Hakai to learn more, and discuss adding solar to your home's energy retrofits.

This week, Jason Wilson, our Renewable Energy Engineer, presented a Hakai built energy system to North Island College electrical trade students. The system, built for Strathcona Park Lodge & Outdoor Education Centre, integrates a solar PV energy producing system with the lodge's existing hydro plant. The system includes an energy storage system which consists of a lithium ion phosphate battery bank.

Jason Jackson, owner and CEO, visited the students back in the classroom to discuss solar technology, career opportunities, and the story behind Hakai.

We were pleased to have the opportunity to meet and talk with future members of the renewable energy and electrical fields. We wish to extend a big thank you to Strathcona Park Lodge & Outdoor Education Centre for hosting us.

Mark your calendars! Join us, and other local organizations on June 28th, at the Town of Comox Climate Action Open House! We are thrilled to be a part of this in person climate action showcase, where members of our team will be available to chat about the solar industry, and highlight some projects in the Comox Valley. Visit us at our booth from 3pm to 7pm on Tuesday, June 28th at the Comox Community Centre.

For more information visit:
www.comox.ca

Our team, BC/PV, placed first in our category in the Royal LePage Snow to Surf, Comox Valley Adventure Relay Race this weekend! We are super proud of all who participated in this awesome outdoor event; it was great to get out into the spring weather with our amazing community! Hope to see you all again next year!

Check out all the rankings here: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=275036

Last Tuesday marked 11 years in business for us (yes, we missed our own birthday, but who can keep track?). We wanted to say a HUGE thank you to our amazing team, our partners, our supporters, and of course, our fantastic customers. Here is to another 11+ forgotten birthdays in BC and beyond! 🍻🎂

We’re getting ready to send out our second-ever newsletter, so now is the time if you haven’t already signed up! This treasure trove of information keeps you up to date on the latest renewable grants and incentives, Tesla and solar technologies, commercial and residential installations in BC, as well as our own news and opportunities! Click the link below to learn more and sign up!

https://hakaienergysolutions.com/newsletter-sign-up/