20-storey towers in ‘Social Housing Initiative’ threaten Vancouver’s solar PV potential & sustainability/climate goals, contradict govt policies/programs (Public Hearing 27-Nov- 2025)
Above: Rendering showing example of how towers’ moving shadows of would stretch across the neighbourhood at Knight and 25th Avenue. This example shows shadows at 10 am on March 20th.
Preamble: Vancouver’s so-called “Social Housing Initiative” (SHI) is the sole item at the Public Hearing starting 6:30 pm Thursday, November 27, 2025. See agenda, documents, and instructions on how to write or speak to Council here – https://council.vancouver.ca/20251127/phea20251127ag.htm. Rather than promote a reasonable and reasoned public discussion, on Nov 4, Council unanimously chose to force a decision on the SHI in the forum of one Public Hearing, gagging public communication with elected officials until the hearing date.
Despite a very low level of public outreach and notification about the details of the SHI, numerous problems, questions, and concerns have been raised, but one topic completely missed by to date is the threat to solar photovoltaic (PV) generation due to shadowing from the 20-storey towers the SHI promotes.
If approved, the SHI would fast-track approvals and prohibit public hearings for any application by a “non-profit” (often in partnership with a developer) applying to build 70% market rental buildings up to 6 storeys on one-fifth — and up to 20 storeys on one-third — of the land in Vancouver (see blue and pink areas in map, respectively). By including only 30% of the units as “social housing,” the entire building is designated as “social housing” (for which Vancouver has its own unique definition not consistent with typical assumptions).
True “social housing” is a laudable goal, but this article below is just one example of the issues not considered in the least in the development of the SHI. In recent weeks, hundreds of concerned citizens spoke to Council regarding proposed cuts to many components of the 2026 civic budget, many of them concerned about climate and sustainability. Hopefully those same people and groups will take notice and speak out here too, as well as any others who currently have solar generation or are planning to deploy it in the future.
This text below is adapted into an article from a written submission to the Public Hearing by Vancouver citizen Gary MacIsaac, who was surprised to find not a single mention of solar PV renewable energy generation anywhere in the staff reports on the SHI—considering the January 31, 2023 Council action (mentioned below). It seems like a significant oversight, he says, especially with the B.C. Utilities Commission just wrapping up public hearings last week to consider the B.C. Hydro application for changes to net metering rates for solar PV. B.C. Hydro should be encouraged to communicate to the Public Hearing on this matter as well.
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The goal: To support social housing with an alternative solution that does not damage renewable solar PV generation capability in Vancouver. To request that Council immediately remove any consideration of the blanket 20-storey tower re-zoning from the Report until the following issues have been reviewed/researched and discussed. (One alternative to building new towers is presented in Section 5 below.)
1. The proposed re-zoning contradicts City of Vancouver Council’s prior approved Motions regarding renewable energy expansion.
These towers are being proposed with no consideration of solar access relevant to renewable solar energy generation. 20-storey towers will create significant shadow zones which would render existing and future solar PV energy generation unusable.
This new proposed development plan has no provisions for, and in fact contradicts the reasons stated for the renewable energy Motion that was adopted by Council on January 31, 2023: https://council.vancouver.ca/20230118/documents/pspc9.pdf
Council also received a Report on Citywide Development Guidelines in July 2024 (https://council.vancouver.ca/20240710/documents/pspc1.pdf). Specifically, The City of Vancouver has only examined solar access in the context of shading of parks and commercial streets but, the SHI staff report says nothing about solar access for energy production or the impacts of new zoning provisions on installed and future solar PV generation. (Reference: Report to Council: Citywide Development Guidelines Early Actions – Public Views, Solar Access, and Residential Tower Floorplates, July 10, 2024. (Appendix C, p. 49). No mention of solar energy access via solar PV generation.)
Council previously approved a strong statement encouraging the expansion of renewable energy sources, including solar PV at a City of Vancouver Council meeting (January 31, 2023). In the minutes of that meeting (at this link) all 10 Councillors (including Christine Boyle who is now B.C. Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs) and the Mayor were present and voted for the Motion, with key provisions noted below, on page 3:
1. Increasing the Climate-Smart Supply of Renewable Energy in Vancouver
Item 11 in the Preamble to this Motion stated:
11. Solar photovoltaic systems would not only help meet the increasing demand for renewable electricity but, together with solar hot water systems, would greatly reduce energy costs for families and businesses.
… FURTHER THAT Council direct the Mayor to, on behalf of City Council, write to the appropriate B.C. government Ministers to expedite implementing the renewable energy-related motions tabled by the City of Vancouver and passed unanimously or near-unanimously at the 2022 UBCM convention, specifically to expand training programs for workers to install solar panels and solar hot water systems, offer consumer rebates on solar PVC (photovoltaic) panels and solar hot water systems, and require that B.C. Hydro increase feed-in tariffs to incentivize more investment in renewable energy production.
There has been, and continues to be, a significant effort by all levels of Government to promote the expansion of renewable energy generation with grants, interest-free loans and rebate programs for years.
2. Conflicts with B.C.’s Clean Energy Strategy and GHG targets
The B.C. Clean Energy Strategy, released by the NDP Government in June, 2024, directly references diversification through home energy production. (Link here):
Increasing and diversifying our production of clean energy
With 98% of BC’s electricity already coming from clean or renewable sources, our efforts are focused on increasing and diversifying the production of clean electricity, unlike many other jurisdictions that are still reliant on coal and natural gas for power production. As a start, the Site C dam is scheduled to be fully in service in 2025, adding approximately 8% more supply to BC’s electricity grid (or 5,100 GWh per year).
For two decades, BC’s electricity demand was relatively stable, but BC Hydro is now forecasting demand will increase by 15% or more by 2030. This is due to population growth and housing construction, increased industrial development across sectors, and more homes and businesses switching from fossil fuels to clean electricity, among other factors.
That’s why in April 2024, BC Hydro issued its first competitive call for power in over 15 years to acquire approximately 3,000 GWh per year of electricity, adding about 5% more supply to BC’s grid by 2028. That’s enough clean electricity to power 270,000 homes or approximately one million electric vehicles per year.
BC is well positioned to add intermittent renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar, to the electricity grid because of the way hydro-electric dams act as batteries within our integrated, flexible electricity system. Reservoirs store water and allow BC Hydro to ramp electricity production up or down almost instantly, providing a firm, reliable backup when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. Because the cost of wind and solar, and the time needed to construct new facilities, has dropped significantly in recent years, renewable energy sources are even more attractive for investment and electricity production.
Diversifying BC’s energy production also makes our electricity system more resilient in the long term to a changing climate and more extreme weather events, like the current drought impacting water levels in BC Hydro’s reservoirs.
There are no provisions in the CoV Staff Reports for lost solar access to photovoltaic systems, either existing, future, or potential.
It may be useful for homeowners and businesses in the proposed re-zoning areas to obtain a solar PV profile for their residence from a solar PV contractor. This profile would provide an estimate of solar energy generation available and show the potential annual energy generation, cost of that energy and benefits for grid supply from the site.
This could serve as a basis for calculating the lifetime financial and GHG reduction loss to homeowners and businesses in the shadow zone of multi-storey towers. The loss of solar generation capacity also impacts City, Provincial and Federal GHG reduction targets.
3. Damaging to BC Hydro programs
BC Hydro has an active rebate program promoting solar PV installations by homeowners (link here).
BC Hydro is currently piloting the development of Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) in Metro Vancouver. The utility of VPPs is closely related to the availability of residential solar generating capacity. (See “Can your home be its own power plant? BC Hydro wants to find out” in Vancouver Sun.)
This issue should also be raised with the B.C. Utilities Commission, as future planning for grid capacity in Vancouver would be significantly impacted if 20-storey towers appeared with no compensation for the loss of existing, or future solar PV generation to the grid.
4. Re-zoning for SHI towers would conflict with Federal plans for expansion of solar generation (2025 Federal Budget, November 17, 2025)
See “Canada’s 2025 Federal Budget: What It Means for Solar Energy” by Solar Ascent (link here).
Excerpt:
Tax Credits Powering the Solar Economy
While the 2025 budget focuses on business-level incentives rather than household rebates, that funding still directly benefits homeowners. It’s driving new investment, expanding supply chains, and helping bring down solar equipment costs.
Here are the highlights:
- Clean Technology Tax Credit (30%) – Supports commercial and community solar projects, lowering costs for installers and developers that serve the residential market.
- Clean Electricity Tax Credit (expected ~15%) – Opens the door for utilities to build more solar generation and battery storage, making the grid cleaner and more resilient.
- Clean Technology Manufacturing Credit (30%) – Encourages domestic production of solar panels, batteries, and inverters — helping stabilize prices and improve availability.
While the tax credits target businesses, the ripple effect benefits every homeowner thinking about solar.
Re-zoning a significant area of Vancouver for towers will create widespread uncertainty for businesses and homeowners considering solar PV generation, since at any given time and location the construction of an adjacent 20-storey tower — creating an extensive shadow zone — would render a solar investment unusable. Introducing this problem makes little sense since solar PV is now the cheapest form of clean electricity generation and dominates the expansion of renewable energy systems.
“Solar energy has been branded the “key driver” in the world’s transition to clean, renewable power due to its ultra-low cost. … A new study from the University of Surrey named solar energy the cheapest source of power, outranking other renewables such as wind, as well as coal and gas.”
Source: https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/10/08/solar-energy-named-the-worlds-cheapest-power-source-what-it-means-for-europe
“The increase in solar PV capacity is set to more than double over the next five years, dominating the global growth of renewables. Low costs, faster permitting and broad social acceptance continue to drive the accelerating adoption of solar PV.”
Source: https://www.iea.org/reports/renewables-2025/executive-summary
5. An Alternative Implementation Approach for the Vancouver Social Housing Initiative
The City can accommodate the need for social housing while retaining solar PV generating capacity —without the cost and carbon footprint of tower builds and speculative land costs resulting from tower re-zoning.
Here is another option.
As is apparent from media reports, the current condominium market in Vancouver has declined significantly. There are a lot of already built suites available.
Vancouver’s condo market is seeing low margins, rising inventory and paused projects, with developers trying different strategies to manage the current downturn, according to a Wednesday report by PwC and the Urban Land Institute… “It’s sort of bizarre to think about, but you’re going to see a population decline in Vancouver for the first time in 40 years, which is a different dynamic than obviously we’ve been seeing in B.C. for a long time,” he said…. ….”We think slow times for condos for the next couple years, steady for office, industrial and retail … and just a lot of questions around what can be done … to get some of these developers active again,” Neale said.
Source: https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/real-estate/vancouver-condo-market-could-struggle-for-next-two-years-says-report-11480913
….Most of the one-bedroom condo units we saw were quite small, clocking in at under 700 square feet. A number of them featured bedrooms that were just corners of living rooms walled off by clear panels, such that going to bed each night, I imagine, would feel like being a lizard in a glass enclosure at the zoo. In one condo we looked at, the “den” was a small alcove in the wall that was perhaps no deeper than a foot. I saw an endless parade of one-wall kitchens and “Juliet balconies,” which were not really balconies but windows with railings outside... It didn’t take long to figure out why there were so many empty units on the market: it turns out nobody wants to rent a condo, and nobody wants to buy one either. Condo rents have dropped over the past two years, and according to a recent report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, or CMHC, condo sales have fallen by 75 percent in the Greater Toronto Area and 37 percent in the Vancouver area since 2022. The market has become so dire that buyers of pre-construction condos are having difficulty closing their purchases. Banks lend money depending on the present value of the property, and some condos are worth less now than they were when the buyers made their first deposit. As a result, developers have been cancelling construction projects. Some experts say we should have seen this coming.
Source: https://thewalrus.ca/no-one-wants-to-buy-a-condo/
All levels of Government, and Vancouver specifically, could consider pursuing the following approach to expanding social housing with allocated or anticipated social housing funding:
- Purchase those “undesirable” new, small condo units in existing buildings at a significant discount given current market conditions.
- Renovate the condos to combine adjacent suites into livable social housing units for various family sizes, then rent them out at appropriate livable rental rates. Some of those buildings will have enough units available that the social housing entity would become the majority Strata owner, if not the owner of the entire building, then convert the building from a Strata to a Co-op. This would also support local contractors with the renovation projects created.
It seems like this approach would accomplish the purpose of the Vancouver Social Housing Initiative at much lower cost and provide housing faster than building new construction. It is apparent from the data in the Metro Vancouver Housing Data Book (link here) that we do not really have a supply problem, but a housing repurposing problem. This approach would also reduce substantially the carbon emissions that are known to be associated with the new construction of 20-storey towers.
6. Conclusion: SHI not ready for approval, need detailed study of solar PV generation impacts, consideration of alternative approaches
This blanket approach to widespread City re-zoning appears to have been developed with no consideration of impacts on other Government programs which encourage installed renewable solar energy generation and future solar PV expansion.
The alternative solution, to invest in existing unsold, discounted condominium projects is something that City staff need to explore thoroughly–along with a detailed proper shadow study that evaluates lost solar PV generation capacity and energy cost across all areas designated for re-zoning.
The Vancouver Social Housing Initiative is a great idea, however the serious negative climate impacts and loss of renewable energy capacity inherent in the Vancouver Social Housing Initiative implementation must be replaced with much less harmful solutions.