Solar Incentives

When choosing a system size and technology for your house, Axon Energy experts will work with you and your family to make the best decision. They will also check to see if you qualify for provincial subsidies that could pay up to 40% of the cost of your project.

Browse By Province:

British Columbia

Alberta

Saskatchewan

Manitoba

“Net metering” is the practise of crediting BC Hydro customers for any solar energy sold to the grid at the same rate they pay for incoming power. Customers who produce their own electricity for personal use are the target audience for this programme. When you produce more during the day than you consume, you sell it back to them. You purchase power from them in the nights and during the winter months when your usage exceeds your generation. At your programme anniversary date, if you still have credits, you will be paid 9.99 cents per kWh.

Estimating Cost & Savings

While most people realize that beautiful British Columbia isn’t the sunniest place in the world, it still has more solar irradiance on average than Germany who is currently a world leader in solar. So, you don’t need to have a lot of sunshine for solar to make sense. And with high rates being paid by BC Hydro for solar energy, BC is actually one of the hot spots for solar in Western Canada!

Residential Example: A “standard” 10kW residential rooftop installation will cost around $25,000* and produce about 10,000kWh per year. Assuming this offsets customer “Tier 2” usage at a rate of $0.15 per kWh and average rate inflation continuing, this will save the customer over $85,000 in expected energy costs over the 30 year expected lifespan of the system – over 3x the system cost ($85,000 / $25,000).

* Please note that this figure changes over time as rebate programs change, inputs costs fluctuate, etc. Request a quote from Axon Energy today to get the most up-to-date figures!

Incentives

PST Exemption: Critical components such as solar photovoltaic modules and inverters when they are sold as part of a package to produce energy, are PST exempt in British Columbia. Section 43.2 Federal Tax Deduction: As of 2018, you can depreciate 100% of your solar PV system in the first year against farm or business income.

Alberta is the only province in Canada with privatized utilities, meaning you can choose your retailer but you would still be subject to the transmission and distribution costs of the company that ran the wires to your home (e.g. EPCOR, Enmax, Fortis, etc).

To promote consistency, the Alberta government has created “microgeneration” regulations which set the rules for the price of power you earn for solar. Energy sold to the grid will be paid out at the same variable rate you pay on your bill for the “Electric Energy Charge”, typically around $0.08 per kWh.

Estimating Cost & Savings

When you consume the solar power you generate, customers will also save the variable fees in their transmission, distribution and rider costs which is generally another $0.06 per kWh – so in total, you will save $0.14 per kWh for any solar energy you use on your property.

Alberta really is the energy capital of Canada – not only is it blessed with abundant oil and natural gas, it also has the best solar resource in the entire country! And because of that, we’re home to some of the largest projects in North America to date.

Commercial Building Example: Let’s look at a 50kW flat roof mount installation on commercial building in Calgary that would be produce around 55,000kWh per year (1,100kWh per installed kW). Assuming that the owner is taxed at 20% on their income, this system would cost roughly $80,000* after accounting for the Section 43.2 Federal tax deduction*.

Finally, if the average rate paid for that solar power is $0.09 per kWh and rate inflation continues at current trends, this will save the customer over $300,000 in expected energy costs over the 30-year expected lifespan of the system – almost 4x the system cost ($300,000 / $80,000).

Incentives

Improved Crediting Rate for SolarPV System: Certain retailers are paying higher rates for solar energy sold to the grid in summer months, up to $0.20 per kWh. Contact us for details.

Solar for Schools Program: This program provides a significant rebate for qualifying schools who install solar PV systems and provide an approved education component to students.

Edmonton Solar PV Rebate Program: The City of Edmonton will contribute $0.40/watt towards the installation of a residential solar PV system, which typically represents around 15% of the installed cost.

Section 43.2 Federal Tax Deduction: As of 2018, you can depreciate 100% of your solar PV system in the first year against farm or business income.

For systems up to 100kW DC, SaskPower will pay $0.075/kWh for an energy sold to the grid under the SaskPower Net Metering Program. Any solar energy used onsite will save the customer their normal retail rate, which is close to $0.15 per kWh including the carbon tax for residential customers.

Estimating Cost & Savings

Being in the heart of the prairies, Saskatchewan’s naturally high solar irradiance and comparatively high rates paid for exported solar power make it an attractive province for renewable investments.

Commercial Farm Example: Let’s look at a 30kW ground mount installation on a farm that would be produce around 40,500kWh per year (1,350kWh per installed kW). If the farm income tax rate is 20%, this system would cost roughly $65,000* after accounting for the Section 43.2 Federal tax deduction.

Assuming this offsets customer usage at an average rate of $0.10 per kWh and rate inflation continuing at current trends, this will save the customer over $250,000 in expected energy costs over the 30-year expected lifespan of the system – almost 4x the system cost ($250,000 / $65,000).

* Please note that this figure changes over time as rebate programs change, inputs costs fluctuate, etc. Request a quote from Axon Energy today to get the most up-to-date figures!

Incentives

Section 43.2 Federal Tax Deduction: As of 2018, you can depreciate 100% of your solar PV system in the first year against income.

Federal Climate Action Incentive Fund (CAIF) Solar Rebate for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: Under this program, incorporated farms and businesses can get 25% of the total cost of implementing GHG-reducing technologies (including solar) reimbursed from the Federal government. While the last funding window has closed, it’s expected that this program will continue – get in touch with Axon Energy for the latest details.

Manitoba Hydro allows customers to generate electricity for their home or business using alternative energy technologies such as solar PV under a Net Billing program. This means that any power you sell to the grid will generate credits at a rate estimated annually by the utility to represent the cost of energy generation for the current grid, typically between $0.03 and $0.05 per kWh.

Any solar energy produced and used onsite will save the customer their full variable rate, so we always encourage customers to use as much power during the day when their systems are operating.

Estimating Cost & Savings

In terms of the amount of annual sunshine, Manitoba falls closely behind fellow prairie provinces Alberta and Saskatchewan – meaning, we get a lot of sun! And given that many rural households use a lot of power to run farm operations and heat their homes, solar has taken off in recent years.

Commercial Farm Example: A 20kW ground mount installation will produce around 27,000kWh per year (1,350kWh per installed kW). Assuming income tax rate is 20%, this system would cost roughly $43,000* after accounting for the Section 43.2 Federal tax deduction.

If the solar power generated provides $0.07 per kWh in savings for the customer and rates continue to rise at historical averages, this will save the customer over $115,000 in expected energy costs over the 30-year expected lifespan of the system – almost 3x the system cost ($115,000 / $43,000).

* Please note that this figure changes over time as rebate programs change, inputs costs fluctuate, etc. Request a quote from Axon Energy today to get the most up-to-date figures!

Incentives

Home Energy Efficiency Loan: Maximum $20 000 on loans for solar PV systems, with a loan period up to 15-years at 4.8% interest.

Section 43.2 Federal Tax Deduction: As of 2018, you can depreciate 100% of your solar PV system in the first year against farm or business income.

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