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The installation of solar panels already makes sense for most homeowners in Saskatchewan and Ontario, but the National Energy Board says that, thanks to an abundance of cheap hydroelectricity, solar energy may have no economic meaning in Quebec and Manitoba.
In Canada, long, dark winters mean that solar power is unlikely to become the only source of electricity anywhere.
"The country will no longer be able to operate only with solar panels," said NEB chief economist Jean-Denis Charlebois.
The Board is today publishing a study of the costs of solar energy relative to current electricity prices. There is an online site where Canadians can indicate the name of their city and find out if there is an economic benefit to solar energy for them now or in the future.
The study, which has 20,000 communities spread across each province and territory, examined both solar power generation capacity based on the number of hours of sunshine and its cost. .
The main conclusion of the study is that no matter how much sunlight, the only places where to install and use solar panels is already cheaper than paying for electricity grids are those where electricity tariffs are already very high. It is in Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island and most places in Ontario.
In provinces where electricity is still relatively cheap – mainly Manitoba and Quebec – the NEB says that solar energy can sometimes cost more than twice as much as the sources of electricity. 39, traditional energy.
In Saskatchewan, for example, where electricity costs are among the highest in the country, the breakeven point of solar energy already accounts for 93% of the current average cost of electricity for homeowners. . But in Manitoba, where electricity costs are among the lowest in the country, the price of solar energy for homeowners represents 176% of the current cost of electricity. In Quebec, it is 223%.
Ontario 's hourly electricity rates ensure that the cost of solar energy represents approximately 95% of the average cost of purchasing electricity from network.
Mr. Charlebois said the average cost of a 5 kilowatt solar plant is about $ 16,000 and that price is expected to fall by 30% in the next five or ten years.
The purchase price of electricity from the grid increases by about 2% per year. According to the Board, between these increases and the solar power rebate programs available in some provinces, the solar energy market will begin to beat the price of the electricity grid in Newfoundland and Labrador, in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Alberta and British Columbia.
The price of electricity in Manitoba and Quebec is still so low that even after the cost of solar energy has dropped significantly, solar energy should not become competitive.
The BC The coast and east coast of Newfoundland are among the worst places to produce solar energy because they do not get a lot of sun. The solar installation of territories costs more because of the distance from most communities, but the high cost of electricity, often generated by diesel, makes that solar energy costs much less in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
In the long run, even solar-powered homeowners will need access to power grids because the sun does not always shine and batteries can only store four to 10 hours of power.
The arguments in favor of solar energy for companies are slightly different because of the different energy rates. Businesses in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Ontario may find it already cheaper to add solar panels than to continue to buy from. 39, electricity only to the grid. According to the NEB, rebate programs in Saskatchewan and Alberta will make solar energy more economical than traditional energy over the next few years.
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