- 1980
- John Young writes: "My interest in solar energy preceded the formation of Solar Nova Scotia when I was chairperson of the Community Planning Association and a renewables member of Voluntary Planning. Vaughan Munroe, was my research assistant and Joanne Lamey was our secretary (and everything else besides). Some time later I created and made myself the first chairperson of Solar Nova Scotia.
- 1980, May 3
John Young, president of the provincial chapter of the Solar Energy Society of Canda, organizes "Sun Day" at the Nova Scotia Museum as a local contribution to an international “Sun Day” celebration. Honourable Ron Barkhouse, Provincial Minister of Mines and Energy, opened the proceedings.- One exhibitor at that show, Peter Allen, was very successful. His local company, Thermo Dynamics Ltd., continues to manufacture and sell both nationally and internationally its line of solar collectors, many of which can be seen on buildings in Halifax.
- 1980, October 14
- The society, The Solar Energy Society of Nova Scotia was incorporated by Vaughn Munroe, John Young, Rick Hornsby and Verne Powell to:
- foster and encourage by all appropriate means, the use of alternative energy technologies in Nova Scotia, and
- act as a clearinghouse for information and experiences relating to the implementation of alternative energy technologies.
- 1981, August
Published One Hundred And One Solar Energy Projects, a report about the successes, and failures, alternative energy projects extant in Nova Scotia. Funded by the NS Department of Mines & Energy and the federal Department of Regional Economic Expansion. The introduction, written by John Young of Applied Science Associates Ltd, thanks Jim Robson, Phil Thompson, John Tufts, Michael Arno, Joanne Lamey, Paul Abraham, Terry Barro, Ian Buchanan, George Kivac, Grant MacAskill & Douglas Young, and Mines & Energy staff Jim Gordon & Vaughn Munroe. Click the thumbnail to see a sample page.- 1983
- Renewable Energy Projects in 1983 published, although it doesn't mention Solar Nova Scotia
- 1986
- Article in New Works magazine about the society and some of the board.
- 1986
- Solar Greenhouse Course manual and course developed. The manual lists Richard Kassner, Jeff Marshall, and Don Roscoe as the team who "worked late into many nights."
- 1993
- Textbook, The Maritime Solar Shelter Manual published. It was funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources & the Canada-Nova Scotia Cooperation Agreement on Sustainable Economic Development. Writing, illustration & design: Shawna Henderson; writing & illustration: Don Roscoe & Jeff Ward; editing & proofing: Norval Balch
- 1998-09-19
- First version of the webpage went on line. A year later it was updated and beautified by Dalhousie Computer Sciences students Paul Awad and Wendy Butt. At the time it was http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Technology/SolarNS/, hosted by Chebucto Community net
- unknown
- Solar Shelter Course created.
- 2000
- Solar Nova Scotia hosted Rise & Shine 2000, the national solar conference. RS2000 was the only national solar conference ever to make money!
- 2004
- The Maritime Solar Shelter Manual updated; website redesigned by Lara Gibson & Aaron Allen of allendesign.ca
- 2005 - Spring
- Web page renovation by Aaron Allen & Lara Gibson; still running on Chebucto Community Net as www.solarns.ca
- 2008
- Our textbook is updated to The Canadian Solar House Manual
- 2009-03-24
- Textbook updated once again to The Canadian Solar Home Design Manual and simultaneously published in Europe.
- 2011
- Web page converted to Drupal 7 content manager by boardmember Jeff Harrop
- 2017-05
- Webpage completely renovated and converted to Drupal 8. Design by boardmember Jeff Harrop, implementation by Jeff and fellow boardmember Dan MacKay.
- 2019-04
- The Society hired our first full time employee, Christie Chaplin-Saunders, to develop the curriculum for, and manage the deployment of, Discover Solar 2019, the Low Carbon Communities project where we told people about the practicalities and programs for getting PV to their homes all across Nova Scotia.
- 2022-06-15
Solar Industry Mixer at the Lion's Head, with 110 members of the solar industry and a few politicians, celebrating (belatedly) the organization's 40th anniversary and a very successful year of being the voice for solar in Atlantic Canada.
Solar Nova Scotia has met for a Sup & Share every Friday evening since the early 1980s. We've seen several bars close, have been kicked out of a few others, and some we left voluntarily. Here are a few meeting places over the years:
