An innovative Atlantic Canadian company aims to put the region on the solar energy map.

by Tom Mason

Except for the Russian accent, Alexandre Pavlovski sounds a lot like the oil executives who first descended on Nova Scotia’s offshore scene 30 years ago. In fact, he can barely hide his enthusiasm as he discusses his adopted province’s potential energy prosperity and its vast, untapped resources. But in this case, the energy isn’t trapped a kilometer under the seabed in a pool of liquid hydrocarbons; it pours down on the province in the form of sunlight. “This is a huge resource,”Pavlovski says. “We have one of the best solar resources in the country here in Nova Scotia.

Pavlovski is president of Green Power Labs, a company that distributes advanced turn-key solar technology to homes and businesses, municipal units and provincial and regional governments. With soaring oil bills, poor hydroelectric infrastructure and frigid winters, Nova Scotia is the ideal place to market the technology, which can heat homes and provide electric power. But first Pavlovski has to create a market for his product. “Most people don’t realize how cheap and easy solar power is,” he says. “A solar system costs $5,000 to $6,000 to install and it will cut heating bills in half. In a typical home it will pay for itself in three years.” To get the message out, Pavlovski has been spending much of his time speaking at conferences and to the media. His company has also developed a GIS-based map of Nova Scotia’s solar resources that charts the availability of solar energy across the province while factoring in variables like construction and infrastructure costs.

With a doctorate in energy conversion technology, Pavlovski immigrated to Nova Scotia in 2002 from his native St. Petersburg, Russia with his wife, a professional musician, and their two teenaged sons. “I had a good friend living in Nova Scotia and he told me great things about the quality of life here.” Now 48 years old, he juggles long hours at the office with a number of volunteer positions, including a spot on the board of the Metropolitan Immigrants Settlement Association (MISA) and chairs in renewable energy and immigration with the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. He will also take any opportunity to promote solar energy. “Canada is a cold country with long supply lines and huge transportation costs,” he says. “The solar potential that we have here is much better than in Germany or Japan, but right now Canada is ten years behind those countries in solar development. We need to catch up.”