The latest episode of the Atlantic Construction Podcast is the story of John Jennex, founder and president of Solar Ascent, a Nova Scotia-based solar installation company. With solar energy booming as a hot topic, John shares how his interest in sustainable living and hands-on craftsmanship blossomed into a thriving business.
From Carpenter to Solar Entrepreneur
John’s solar journey began humbly, rooted in his skills as a carpenter. After years of building energy-efficient homes and growing restless with traditional renovations, he found himself drawn to the possibilities of solar power. A self-initiated project converting a cargo van into a solar-powered camper sparked his curiosity about renewable energy. This newfound interest took him to Colorado’s Solar Energy International, where he mastered the skills that now drive Solar Ascent. Â
Returning to Nova Scotia, John launched Solar Ascent just as the solar homes rebate was introduced, allowing him to transform a niche concept into a viable solar installation business.
Building Solar Momentum
The podcast highlights Solar Ascent’s role as a pioneer in Nova Scotia’s solar energy landscape. John discusses the early challenges of educating customers about the technology while building trust in a budding industry. Since its inception, Solar Ascent has grown exponentially, scaling from residential projects to commercial installations for local organizations like the Sackville Library and Dartmouth Housing. Â
Throughout the episode, John discusses the increasing mainstream acceptance of solar energy and its benefits. He describes the magical moment when a solar system powers a home, allowing families to produce more energy than they consume while giving back to the grid. The conversation also covers the challenges and triumphs of running a solar business in an evolving industry, addressing client education, and navigating the political landscape of energy production.
The Magic of Solar
For John, the true joy of the business lies in commissioning systems and seeing them come to life—watching a meter spin backward as homes generate more power than they consume. “It’s like turning someone’s home into their own renewable energy plant,” he says. Â
John talks about the development of the solar industry and the introduction of new technologies that drive its success.
Battery Storage and Net Metering
“We get questions all the time, like adding batteries to their systems, and a common misconception with solar energy is people sometimes think that there needs to be batteries involved to make it work, but with net metering, there’s no real requirement for batteries,” – says John.
“It’s an interesting technology, and it’s still in its early stages; right now, you’re paying early adopter prices, but I think through incentives and then maturation of the technology, we’re going to see more and more adoption over the years.
We have this awesome net metering program where if you produce a kilowatt hour on your roof, you get to send it out to the grid for a one-for-one exchange. But installing a battery backup makes sense for residential customers, as you can have a backup if the power goes out.
“We’re hearing more and more about resiliency being important for people and the need for that resiliency if the power goes out. They want to ensure they have a plan, so we’re seeing people adopt batteries.”
Here’s a recent blog post titled: Back-Up Your Solar With A Home Battery System
Common Questions From Customers
The conversation ends with common questions from those considering solar. Â
“Why Nova Scotia has been popular for solar is for a few different reasons; one of them is that we just have like good general year-round solar production. So that’s one of them, and then two is obviously like we pay a lot of money for grid power, so if you can offset with solar then the payback looks better.Â
Once it’s installed, we place a rodent guard to make sure no birds get underneath. By the time we walk away, you just let it do its thing and get to watch the production on your monitoring app and watch your power bills decrease,” – says John
Mic Drop 🎤
If you’re curious about how solar energy can transform your home or business—or simply want to hear an inspiring entrepreneurial story—this episode is for you. Tune into the Atlantic Construction Podcast‘s full episode with John Jennex wherever you stream your podcasts!
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