ALBERTA SOLAR INCENTIVES

Net Metering Program

The Net Metering Program in Alberta allows customers to generate their own electricity and send excess electricity back to the grid for credit. This program is designed to encourage renewable energy use and reduce reliance on the electrical grid.

To be eligible for the Net Metering Program, a customer must meet the following criteria:

• The customer must be a residential or commercial customer of an Alberta utility.
• The customer must install a small-scale micro-generator that meets the program's requirements.
• The customer must install a bi-directional meter that measures electricity flowing to and from the grid.

Once a customer is enrolled in the Net Metering Program, they will receive a credit for any excess electricity that they send back to the grid. This credit will be applied to their next electricity bill.

The amount of credit that a customer receives will vary depending on the time of day and the price of electricity. However, in general, customers will receive a credit that is equal to the retail price of electricity.

The amount of credit that a customer receives will vary depending on the time of day and the price of electricity. However, in general, customers will receive a credit that is equal to the retail price of electricity.

The Small Power Producers Program (SPPP) in Alberta is a program that allows individual customers and corporate entities to generate up to 100 kilowatts (kW) of electricity to offset the power that would otherwise be purchased from the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO). The program was launched in 2011 and is administered by the AESO.

Under the SPPP, small power producers can either sell all of the power they generate to the AESO or sell the excess power they generate after their own needs have been met. The price that the AESO pays for electricity from small power producers is set by the market and is reviewed annually.

The SPPP is open to all renewable energy technologies, including solar, wind, hydro, biomass, and geothermal. However, there are some restrictions on the types of projects eligible for the program. For example, projects that are located on land that is designated as agricultural land are not eligible.

To be eligible for the SPPP, a project must meet the following criteria:

• The project must be located in Alberta.
• The project must have a capacity of up to 100 kW.
• The project must be connected to AESO's electricity grid.
• The project must be owned by an individual or a corporate entity.

Alberta Solar Micro-Generation

The Alberta Micro Generation Regulation, which simplifies the grid connection process for micro-generators, came into effect on January 1, 2009. The regulation allows for an offset of the site energy consumption with the energy generated on-site. A bi-directional meter measures both imported and exported energy. Energy retailers net out the imported and exported energy and bill or issue a credit according to the total net, hence, net billing.

It is important to note that the amount of energy generated “is intended to meet all or a portion of the customer’s electricity needs.” If the purpose of the electrical generation is for profit, then it can be connected to the grid using a different distributed generator interconnection process as regulated by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) Rule 007.

Dandelion Renewables manages all aspects of the microgeneration application process and provides the best commercial solar panel systems in Alberta.

Canada Greener Homes Loan

The Canada Greener Homes Loan is a federal program that offers interest-free loans of up to $40,000 to homeowners who make energy-efficient home upgrades. The loan can cover the cost of various retrofits, including insulation, windows and doors, heating and cooling systems, and water efficiency measures.

To be eligible for the loan, homeowners must have a pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation of their home. The evaluation will assess the home's energy efficiency and recommend potential retrofits. Once the retrofits are complete, homeowners must have a post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation to verify the energy savings.

The Canada Greener Homes Loan is a great way to make energy-efficient upgrades to your home without having to pay upfront costs. The loan is available to homeowners across Canada, and the application process is simple and straightforward.

Behind-The-Meter Program

Behind-the-meter (BTM) programs are designed to encourage the adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) by homeowners and businesses. DERs are small-scale energy generation and storage systems that can be installed on or near a customer's property. They include solar panels, wind turbines, battery storage, and combined heat and power (CHP) systems.

BTM programs offer a variety of financial incentives to help customers offset the cost of installing DERs. These incentives can include rebates, feed-in tariffs (FITs), and net metering. Rebates are a one-time payment that is made to customers who install DERs. FITs are a guaranteed price that customers pay for the electricity their DERs generate. Net metering allows customers to offset their electricity bills with their DERs' electricity.

Alberta Municipal Solar Program

The Alberta Municipal Solar Program provides municipalities and non-profit community-related organizations with rebates for installing grid-tied Alberta solar PV systems. The rebate provided is calculated as follows:

• Solar PV Systems 2 kW or greater and less than 10 kW: $0.90/Watt (The rebate will cover a maximum of 25% of the total installed cost of the system).
• Solar PV Systems 10 kW or greater and less than 150 kW: $0.75/Watt (The rebate will cover a maximum of 25% of the total installed cost of the system).
• Solar PV Systems 150 kW or greater and less than 2 MW: $0.60/Watt (The rebate will cover a maximum of 25% of the total installed cost of the system).
• Solar PV Systems 2 MW or greater, up to 5 MW: $0.55/Watt (The rebate will cover a maximum of 25% of the total installed cost of the system).

To qualify for this program, the following requirements must be met:

• The project must comply with the Alberta Micro-generation Regulation 27/2008
• The Alberta solar PV system capacity must be greater than or equal to 2 kW
• The municipality must meet the definition of “municipality” as per Section 1(s) of the Municipal Government Act