July 1, 2019

On June 25th, 2019, the Federal Government announced its new plan of action for carbon taxes. In the provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and New Brunswick, due to the lack of a provincial carbon tax, the Federal Government has imposed its own carbon tax. Of the new federal carbon tax funds collected, $60million will be distributed … Continue reading “Federal Carbon Tax to be Returned to Schools for Energy Efficiency programs”

April 12, 2019

With Rachel Notley’s NDP announcing the provincial election for April 16, 2019, many are speculating what will happen to the renewable energy industry. There is a looming fear that what happened in Ontario will be mirrored in Alberta if the UCP is voted in. The Ontario liberals introduced the Green Energy Act in 2009 and … Continue reading “NDP vs. UCP for Solar in Alberta”

March 28, 2019

Using renewable energy to heat is challenging in Western Canada as neither solar thermal nor air source heat pumps (ASHP) are very efficient at -30C. In addition, they most often have to compete with natural gas, which is relatively inexpensive in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, making the economics poor in many cases. However, there … Continue reading “Summer Heating with Renewables”

March 17, 2019

Image source: Alberta Farmer Express In Alberta, drought is becoming more and more common while electricity prices are only getting higher. This means special attention is needed regarding the efficiency of irrigation systems. There are a few government programs that can help with irrigation efficiency in Alberta including the Canadian Agricultural Partnership grant for Irrigation … Continue reading “Solar Center Pivot Irrigation”

March 6, 2019

Dandelion Renewables is completing one of Edmonton’s first Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) installations at Dominion Hotel on Whyte Avenue, Edmonton. We were contracted by Beljan Developments to retrofit the existing skylights with solar PV glass to offset some of the building’s electrical consumption. Seven 2.5m x 1m sealed amorphous glass units each capable of generating … Continue reading “Photovoltaic Glass (BIPV) | Solar windows”

February 13, 2019

At the end of 2018 Brazeau County announced an additional solar incentive for residents and farms located in the Brazeau County. The rebate amount announced is $0.90/DC Watt of installed solar system capacity up to $10,000 limit per landowner within the County.  The Brazeau County solar rebate is paid in addition to the existing Energy … Continue reading “Brazeau County Alberta Solar Rebate”

December 11, 2018

Incentive provision for fast depreciation of “Clean Energy” assets was introduced in 1996 by Federal Budget as a new category of deductible expenses under Schedule II to the Income Tax Regulations. After that, the updates took place several times. The incentive is based on the environmental benefits of low-emission energy generation equipment. On November 21, … Continue reading “Accelerated Investment Incentive for Solar and Renewables in Canada”

November 20, 2018

Great news in the land of sunny Alberta! Energy Efficiency of Alberta has updated their funding rates for its Residential and Commercial Solar Program (RCSP) as of Nov 2018. All new applications submitted right now will qualify for these new rates. Even better news for our Edmontonian neighbors, the City of Edmonton Residential solar grant … Continue reading “More Government and Energy Efficiency Alberta Solar Funding Available”

October 27, 2018

SaskPower started this fall implementing changes to facilitate power generation that helps to meet its goals of reducing emissions and increasing renewable energy generation. The first step is the Power Generation Partner Program (“PGPP”). For the next two years, the program will support 10MW per year of renewable energy projects, including solar power, biomass, biogas, hydro … Continue reading “SaskPower Net Metering and Power Generation Partner Program”

October 15, 2018

This year the Solar Power International Innovations (SPI) was held in Anaheim, California.  I Mikhail Ivanchikov attend on behalf of Dandelion Renewables. It was nice to experience the lovely weather for a week, leaving Edmonton covered in snow for a sunny and warm California.  The show and information there was so valuable and intense that I had … Continue reading “2018 Solar Power International Innovations”

September 17, 2018

I love micro hydro. When done the right way, it can be environmentally friendly, have minimal ecological impact, simple, efficient and robust. My first job in renewable energy was with Smart Hydro Power, a German company selling 1m diameter floating river turbines which generate up to 5kW of electricity. It’s an exciting industry with a … Continue reading “BC Micro Hydro”

August 27, 2018

How Solar PV Works with BC Hydro-Net Metering The BC Hydro-Net Metering program allows for homeowners and business owners to generate electricity to offset their electricity needs, using renewable energy sources such as solar power, wind power and water power (micro-hydro). “Net metering” generally means that at each billing period (e.g. every two months with … Continue reading “BC Hydro-Net Metering”