by Dan Roscoe, President of Renewall
It’s a fair concern. Regardless of how it’s generated, nearly all electricity produced in Nova Scotia flows into a single network of wires connecting homes, businesses, and industries across the province. By the time it reaches your lights, appliances, or heat pump, there’s no label on each electron telling you whether it came from a wind turbine, a hydro dam, or a fossil fuel plant.
That’s why trust and clarity matter. If we want people to choose clean power, they deserve to know how it works.
Here’s the truth: electricity is a shared resource. In Nova Scotia, every source, fossil fuels, renewables, and imports, feeds into one grid. Once it’s there, it’s impossible to trace an individual electron from the point of generation to the point of use.
But while you can’t choose the specific electrons that flow into your home, you can choose your impact on the system. When you sign up with Renewall, you ensure that the same amount of clean electricity you consume is generated and added to the grid. Your decision creates a direct link between your energy use and the growth of renewable generation.
Think of it this way: you can’t choose which exact electrons power your home, but you can choose which ones you pay to put into the system. And that choice, ultimately, is what matters most.
The easiest way to understand this is by comparing the grid to a bank.
Everyone makes deposits into the same banking system and everyone makes withdrawals. When you take out money, you don’t get the exact bills you put in. Some of those bills may have circulated through many hands, some of them may even have come from questionable places. But that doesn’t change the legitimacy of your account or the value of your deposits.
That’s what people mean when they say money is fungible.
Electricity works the same way. By choosing Renewall, you’re making a clean deposit into the system. Every unit of electricity you consume is matched by an equivalent deposit of renewable power into the grid. Even though you may be withdrawing from a shared pool, your deposits change the mix.
The more deposits of renewable energy, the cleaner the system becomes for everyone. And unlike money, where questionable bills can stay in circulation indefinitely, electricity is constantly being generated and used. Every new source shifts the balance right away.
Skepticism is healthy. After all, if you can’t see the electrons, how can you be sure your choice is having the intended effect? That’s where regulation and accountability come in.
In Nova Scotia, energy retailers like Renewall are subject to strict guardrails and regulation. We can only sell what we generate. In fact, provincial legislation goes a step further: we are required to generate more renewable electricity than we sell, ensuring that the grid always gains from customer participation.
Every kilowatt-hour you buy from Renewall will be backed by real renewable generation from Mersey River Wind, a wind farm in Queens County. Oversight from the Nova Scotia Energy Board ensures compliance. That means when you buy clean power, you can trust that clean power is being added to the grid on your behalf.
This is a legally binding obligation that guarantees your choice is making a measurable impact.
One of the most surprising parts for customers is how seamless the switch is. If you have a smart meter, which most Nova Scotia homes and businesses now do, nothing in your home needs to change.
No new equipment. No rewiring. No installation costs. No service interruptions.
The only thing that changes is your source. Behind the scenes, your usage is matched with clean electricity generated by Renewall. From your perspective, the experience is seamless. From the grid’s perspective, the impact is immediate.
And beyond the wires and meters, something else changes: your role. By choosing Renewall, you move from being a passive consumer of whatever the grid provides to being an active participant in shaping Nova Scotia’s energy independence as well as our climate future.
So why does it matter, if everything looks the same when you flip the switch? Because the grid reflects the collective choices of all of us.
Every household and business that signs up with Renewall adds more renewable generation to the system. The cleaner the supply, the less we rely on fossil fuels. Over time, that means fewer emissions, more local investment, and a stronger foundation for a resilient energy system.
Energy is shared, but responsibility is personal. Each decision contributes to the bigger picture. If only a handful of households choose clean power, the grid barely shifts. But when thousands do, the impact is transformative. It becomes a signal to build more wind, more solar, and smarter infrastructure to carry it all.
This is how systemic change happens. One customer choice at a time, multiplied across communities.
Renewall will begin delivering clean electricity to Nova Scotia homes and businesses in 2026. But the shift doesn’t have to wait until then. By joining the waitlist today, you secure your place in Nova Scotia’s first retail clean energy program and help build momentum for a cleaner grid.
Capacity is limited. The earlier you sign up, the earlier your spot, and your impact, are guaranteed.
Your choice really can help reshape Nova Scotia’s energy future. So, the question isn’t whether you can tell which electrons are powering your home. The real question is: which ones do you want to add to the grid?
Dan Roscoe is the President of Renewall Energy, a renewable energy provider, and CEO of Roswall Development, a renewable energy developer, both based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His work is focused on building the infrastructure for a cleaner, smarter energy future across Canada and beyond.
