Province announces solar energy rebate

The Provincial government has announced the creation of a solar installation rebate program that will come into effect this summer.
In a press release Feb. 27, the NDP government said that the program will cost $36 million and is a reinvestment of the carbon levy.
The rebate covers the installation of rooftop solar panels on both residential and commercial buildings.
“There’s a lot of buzz in Alberta around small-scale solar,” said Shannon Phillips Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Parks and Minister Responsible for the Climate Change Office.
It is predicted that this program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Alberta by approximately half a million tonnes.
Solar projects will have to meet the Residential and Commercial Solar Program requirements to be eligible for the new rebate.
“This program will make solar power affordable for more Albertans, leading to new panels on 10,000 Alberta rooftops by 2020.
“Along the way, we will create jobs and local expertise in an emerging industry,” said Phillips.
The new details of the program are still being worked out including what solar systems qualify and the installation and eligibility requirements.
The government is posting a Request for Proposal to find a third-party organization to administer the rebate program.
In Alberta, the use of solar generation is increasing and has doubled since 2015.
The government predicts that by 2019 the new rebate program along with existing solar generations programs will create 900 jobs.
It is also expected that residential installation costs will be reduced by up to 30 per cent and 25 per cent for commercial.
The rebate builds upon the December 2016 amendment to the Micro-generation Regulation that provides more flexibility to Albertans who generate their own electricity.
The amendment promotes electrical generation by increasing the limit of micro-generation from one megawatt to five megawatts. It also allows a solar array to serve adjacent sites, such as commercial operations with multiple buildings.