New PV panels on the rooftop of McNally East will generate electricity for the building
For seven decades, the roof of McNally East had exactly one job: keep the weather out. As of this summer, it has a second one—powering the building beneath it.
Saint Mary’s University has completed a full renewal of the 70-year-old roof on McNally East, part of the historic McNally complex at the heart of campus. The project pairs modern, climate-resilient construction with a new rooftop photovoltaic (PV) array.
The system will generate approximately 170,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity each year, reducing the university’s reliance on grid power. The installation is expected to cut the building’s carbon footprint by at least 85 tonnes annually.
McNally East after rooftop upgrades
McNally East before
“Every time we build or renovate on this campus, we ask the same question: how can this asset give more back?” says Dennis Gillis, Senior Director of Facilities Management at Saint Mary’s. “McNally East needed a new roof either way. Now it keeps the weather out, keeps costs down and generates clean power every day. That’s what responsible stewardship looks like in 2026.”
The upgraded roof boosts insulation values six-fold, from R-5 to R-30, improving heating and cooling efficiency and eliminating a further five tonnes of emissions each year. Together, the improvements are projected to save at least $28,000 annually in energy costs.
McNally East roof under construction
The roof and solar array were designed for Halifax’s demanding coastal climate. The panel layout includes dedicated pathways and spacing for safe, efficient maintenance, protecting the system’s performance over the long term. The new roofing system will shield the building for decades to come.
On campus, a digital dashboard inside McNally East displays the building’s clean energy production in real time, allowing students, employees and visitors to track solar generation as it happens throughout the day.
The project was funded by the Government of Canada and the Estate of Anne J. and Albert T. Isaacs DipENG’55.
McNally East’s original roof was built around the same time Albert Isaacs was completing his engineering diploma at Saint Mary’s. Seventy years later, his legacy is helping transform that same building into a source of clean power for the campus where the university’s newest generation of engineers will begin their studies this fall.
McNally East is the latest chapter in a clean energy story that has been drawing national attention to the South End campus for years. In 2024, Saint Mary’s completed the recladding of the 22-storey Loyola Residence, wrapping the tower’s south-facing wall in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), solar technology that generates electricity while forming part of the building itself.
Loyola Residence was recladded with building-integrated photovoltaic panels in 2024
Rather than simply replacing deteriorating concrete on a 50-year-old residence, the university turned a maintenance challenge into a clean energy landmark. Delivered with Toronto-based Mitrex, the project earned Saint Mary’s a Clean50 Top Project Award, recognizing it as one of Canada’s most innovative projects addressing climate change. It also drew national media coverage as the tallest solar-integrated building in North America.
Saint Mary’s has reduced its carbon footprint by 51.7 per cent since 2005 through a deliberate sequence of upgrades, including replacing its steam heating plant with a high-efficiency hot water system, switching from oil to natural gas for heating, converting campus lighting to LEDs, and benefiting from an increasingly renewable provincial electricity supply.
Future sustainability projects include a green roof for the Patrick Power Library, a new roof design for the Homburg Centre for Health & Wellness, and a solar canopy for the Science Building parking lot.
“A university’s campus can teach as powerfully as its classrooms and show our values in action,” says Dr. Michael Khan, President and Vice-Chancellor of Saint Mary’s University. “Saint Mary’s is part of the energy transition here in Halifax. We’re building it, measuring it and, starting this fall, teaching it through two brand-new programs.”
In September 2026, Saint Mary’s will launch two programs that connect the university’s sustainability leadership with career-ready education on a campus that doubles as a working laboratory.
The new Sustainability Management major at the Sobey School of Business teaches students how organizations grow while protecting the environment and strengthening communities. Graduates will step into some of the economy’s fastest-growing fields, from sustainable finance and ESG reporting to consulting and social enterprise.
The new Renewable Energy Engineering stream, one of two options in the just-launched Bachelor of Engineering in Resource Engineering, will train students to design, build and operate the clean power systems of the future. Coursework will cover solar and wind energy, biomass, grid integration and energy storage, supported by laboratory learning, fieldwork and paid co-op opportunities.
Carlos Fernando Aguilar Estavillo had planned to study industrial engineering while attending Saint Mary’s. That changed when he learned about the new Renewable Energy Engineering stream.
“When they announced it, I was super excited,” says Aguilar Estavillo. “I’m especially interested in wind energy here in Nova Scotia, but also battery storage and grid integration. I think universities should not only teach sustainability, but they should also demonstrate it. The new solar panels on campus let students see how renewable energy works in real life.”
Carlos, second from right, visits a solar farm on a tour led by SMU alum Karsen Cain with SwitchPace. He’s joined by engineering classmates Aiden Sheppard and Anabella Ferrari. Students will start the new Renewable Energy Engineering program at SMU this fall.
Saint Mary’s sits in Halifax’s historic South End, on a walkable peninsula minutes from the Atlantic Ocean, in a province working toward 80 per cent renewable electricity by 2030.[1] As Nova Scotia’s role in the clean energy transition grows, Saint Mary’s is helping shape that future, both through the infrastructure it builds and the students it prepares.
The next time you are in McNally East, look up and then look at the digital dashboard; it will tell you exactly what the sun has done for Saint Mary’s that day.
Learn more at smu.ca/sustainabilty
[1] CER – Renewable Energy in Canada – Nova Scotia
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