{"id":771,"date":"2026-05-31T23:19:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T23:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communityenergy.ca\/tools\/powertoact\/?post_type=objective&p=771"},"modified":"2026-06-02T18:53:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T18:53:12","slug":"require-solar-panels-battery-storage-retrofit","status":"publish","type":"objective","link":"https:\/\/communityenergy.ca\/tools\/powertoact\/objective\/require-solar-panels-battery-storage-retrofit\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar panels and battery storage"},"content":{"rendered":"

As communities look for ways to reduce emissions, manage electricity demand, and improve local energy systems, municipalities are exploring where and how they can influence the installation of solar panels and battery storage through land use and development processes. While municipal authority in this area is constrained, particularly where requirements would affect building systems regulated at the provincial level, local governments do have limited pathways to require or secure the installation of solar panels and battery storage systems. Their authority depends on the regulatory tool used and is shaped by the Local Government Act<\/em>, the Building Act<\/em>, and property law principles. They can likely require solar panels and battery storage systems, depending on the context, through development permits, land ownership, or voluntary legal agreements.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, major roof retrofits can present a practical opportunity to add rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems with less disruption and lower incremental cost than retrofitting at a later date. For local governments, linking solar installation to roof work can support energy conservation and greenhouse gas reduction objectives. In BC, the ability to require solar PV during a roof retrofit is primarily tied to Development Permit Areas (DPAs) designated for energy conservation or GHG reduction. Whether such a requirement is lawful depends heavily on careful drafting and the use of appropriate land\u2011use authority.<\/p>\n

Finally, a key question is whether simply installing the equipment is enough, or whether it must function as intended. DPA authority is tied to achieving specific objectives, which means that operational performance may be an important consideration when determining compliance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Local governments can likely require solar panels and battery storage systems, depending on the context, through development permits, land ownership, or voluntary legal agreements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":772,"template":"","categories":[9],"class_list":["post-771","objective","type-objective","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-existing-buildings"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communityenergy.ca\/tools\/powertoact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/objective\/771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communityenergy.ca\/tools\/powertoact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/objective"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communityenergy.ca\/tools\/powertoact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/objective"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/communityenergy.ca\/tools\/powertoact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/objective\/771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":882,"href":"https:\/\/communityenergy.ca\/tools\/powertoact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/objective\/771\/revisions\/882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communityenergy.ca\/tools\/powertoact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communityenergy.ca\/tools\/powertoact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communityenergy.ca\/tools\/powertoact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}