British Columbia adopts solar power plan

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 17 (UPI) -- Canadian officials in British Columbia said Thursday they plan to spend $5 million on increasing solar water heating to 3,000 roofs in the next two years.

The declaration by provincial government officials was made in Dawson Creek, a city known for its solar powered city hall, fire and police stations and airport, the Vancouver Sun reported Thursday.

The SolarBC plan is focused on inspiring schools, residents, residential projects and first nations communities to start using solar water heating systems, the newspaper said.

Nitya Harris, executive director of SolarBC, approximated there are less than 500 businesses and homes in the province that use solar water heating.

Officials said they are planning to install solar systems on 100,000 roofs by 2020.

"We're pretty much close to ground zero. The world is going in this direction; everyone is going solar. The time is ripe for B.C. to go toward a solar program," Harris said.