Solar Power In Canada
Solar power in Canada has been around for a while now. Forward thinking Canadians have been implementing major initiatives geared towards the uptake of solar panels since the early nineties. Even with some of the lowest energy costs in the world, Canada still actively pursues solar power technologies particularly for low temperature heating applications. This is because solar panels in Canada can make an even bigger difference. Solar energy in Canada is abundant, with the largest resources being found in southern Ontario, Quebec and the Prairies. The amount of solar energy in Canada varies with the season, latitude, weather conditions and the time of day. The northern territories do not receive as much sunlight for example. Usually, solar energy in Canada has been used for space heating, water heating and drying crops and lumber.Canada has many regions that are remote and sparsely populated. These places are perfect for solar energy because the nearest power line can be hundreds of miles away. One of the most important potential uses for solar PV cells is in northern communities, many of which depend on high-cost diesel fuel to generate electricity. The relevant authorities are trying to make solar power a more attractive proposition for these communities. For example, the Government of the Northwest Territories has developed an energy strategy that sets targets for solar energy in Canada. The government plan to obtain 10% of its energy from renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, biomass and hydro, by 2010, and 25 per cent by 2025. Growing Market Solar energy in Canada has grown at an average rate of 25% every year for the last eight years. Canadian companies make solar modules, controls, specialized water pumps, high efficiency refrigerators and solar lighting systems. In early 2003, Canada’s installed capacity of PV systems was about 10 megawatts, compared with just 1 megawatt in 1992. So things are rapidly improving. And although solar water heaters only contribute a small fraction of Canada’s energy use at the moment, plans are afoot to make up as much as 5% of the country’s energy needs by the year 2025. So there is a lot to be hopeful about as solar energy in Canada is about to make its presence felt. Because as it stands now, one-fifth of total energy use in Canada is consumed by the residential sector. And around 17 percent is used to heat water. This makes water heating one of the most energy consuming applications and one where solar panels can make a massive impact in further reducing bills and helping the environment. Canada's goal is to achieve 100,000 solar power installations by 2010 and to move over to green electricity suppliers. Feed In Tariff Back in 2007, The Ontario Power Authority created a feed-in tariff for solar power electric installations as well as other renewable energies. Now Ontario want to go one better and introduce a feed-in tariff for solar panels, much like the one in Germany, as part of the proposed Green Energy Act this summer to produce more clean and enviromentally green electricity. Homeowners and commercial electricity suppliers that use renewables such as solar panels, wind, hydro, biomass and landfill gas to produce green electricity will all qualify under the new proposal. Smaller solar power electric installations will get the highest tariff as part of an effort to encourage 100,000 homeowners to install solar panels to generate their own green electricity. Studies have shown that the German model has been a major success and according to an announcement from Ontario’s Environment Minister recently, this initiative could eventually push solar panels to well beyond parity with standard electricity prices. Green Electricity Green electricity is generated form a number of sources such as solar energy, wind power and biomass. Bundled Green Power – Households can pay for Green Power on their regular electricity bill. It is available to certain consumers in Eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. You get a certain percentage of your electricity green. Green Power Certificates – This option allows customers to pay for a specified amount of green electricity separately from their regular electricity bills. It is a way for consumers to support the use and development of renewable energy and is available to all Canadians through provincial and national programs. British Columbia BC Hydro (Green Power Certificates) Alberta Vision Quest (Bundled Power) Enmax (Green Power Certificates) Saskatchewan Sask Power (Bundled Power) Prince Edward Island Maritime Electric (Bundled Power) Nova Scotia Nova Scotia Power (Bundled Power) New Brunswick JD Irving (Green Power Certificates) Ontario Bullfrog Power (Bundled Power + Green Power Certificates)
Residential pool heating Nearly one in 10 homes in Canada have outdoor swimming pools. Can you believe that? I could never imagine that in olde England. This puts the total number of residential pools to well over 600,000. Solar panels would be ideal you would think. 600,000 pools must use a lot of energy. But the market share for solar panels has remained small despite the best efforts of the ETB. ADVANCEMENTS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS The environment in northern Canada is a particulary harsh one. The Canadian government through the years has focused much of its efforts on this region, where energy costs can skyrocket to as much as 12 times the national average. Their programs focuses on reducing the high energy costs by developing PV solar panels that are robust enough to withstand northern Canada's extremely harsh climate. The cost of installing solar panels can be prohibitive to some families. However, if you have a basic grasp of DIY you can greatly reduce the costs by installing your own solar panels. For more information click here. Other solar options A great way of benefitting from solar energy but not spending a fortune would be to install solar powered outdoor lighting for your back yard or garden. OUTLOOK Although, compared to many countries solar power in Canada is lagging behind, it is continuing to make advancements in solar energy technologies. With close co-operation between industry and the Canadian government, the future is bright for solar power in Canada.For more information on solar panel installation check out TrueWest Solar Energy for the latest prices. LATEST NEWS Canadian solar power community all install solar panels on their garages. Global warming and Canada's attempts to combat it. To return to our solar energy home page. |
