Why is home solar generation in Alberta limited to personal use?
Thanks to decreasing costs and accessible grant programs, the number of Albertans with home solar panels has grown exponentially.
While some people are content just getting a break on their energy bills, many look at rooftop solar systems and envision pumping electricity back into the province’s power grid — and generating extra cash in the process.
“It's one of the more common questions that we receive, especially among a certain audience that maybe have a really ideal rooftop, and they have the funds or have access to the funds to support a larger system,” says Greg Sauer, vice-president of business development for SkyFire Energy.
The question often comes up in the beginning stages of conversations with new customers, Sauer said: Is it possible to max out my home and become a net supplier of electricity?
The first hurdle in plans to become a small-scale power plant is regulatory. Under Alberta’s micro-generation regulations, home electricity production is only intended to offset your own annual energy consumption.
Sauer said the limits set out in regulations are a bit unclear, but generally this means having enough solar to produce around 105 per cent of your annual electricity needs.
“Because not every year is going to be the same in production and solar systems over time decline, there's a little bit of a margin or a tolerance,” he said.
But why stop there if you have the space to generate twice what you normally consume?
Over-sizing is attractive to customers because the more solar you install, the lower the price of each installed watt. Some people also imagine that when the system is paid off, then there is an opportunity to generate revenue, Sauer said.
Which brings us to the second, and more serious challenge. Our electrical infrastructure wasn’t really designed to accommodate solar panels on every roof sending power back into the grid.
“Micro-generation users connect to the grid via the distribution system provider in territory where the generator is located. There are technical limitations to the amount of power that can be imported on those distribution system lines, generally and specific to the actual location,” says Geoff Scotton, a communications advisor with the Alberta Utility Commission, which administers the provincial policy set out by the government.
“Generally speaking, those distribution systems were designed and built to distribute and deliver power, rather than collect it.”
That said, the grid does have some collection capacity and people can seek and obtain agreements with the distribution system operator, Scotton added. “This is for both safety and capacity reasons.”
“Even the way we're designing communities today, the servicing they're putting in really hasn't changed from what it was in the 90s and the 2000s,” Sauer said.
If a neighbourhood or a street is serviced by a 100 kVA transformer, that is the limiting factor. Within those capacity limits, the issue becomes one of fairness and equity.
“You could have 10 10-kilowatt systems connected that transformer. Or you could have 25-kilowatt systems connected to that transformer. At the end of the day, it's the same,” Sauer said.
“From my perspective, personally, I'd like to see more people have the ability to connect and offset their consumption than one or two or three people have the ability to put two or three times the size of system on and take up that capacity.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most Americans believe abortion should be legal, at least in most circumstances, but it's still a flashpoint issue in JD Vance's home state
Abortion is a flashpoint in the upcoming American election, even as polls in the U.S. show most people support reproductive freedom. Abortion rights advocates tell CTV News that when candidates take a stance on that, it could influence a decision at the polling station– especially for women on who they want elected.
'It’s a dream come true': Holt, Liberal cabinet sworn-in to office
Susan Holt, the province's first female premier, and 18 cabinet ministers took the oath of office in the chamber of the legislative assembly.
Alberta Premier Smith gets 91 per cent support in leadership review
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith received a dominating 91.5 per cent vote of support from her United Conservative Party members in a scheduled leadership review vote on Saturday.
Live from New York: Harris making surprise 'Saturday Night Live' appearance with election looming
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris has made an unannounced trip to New York to appear on an episode of 'Saturday Night Live,' briefly stepping away from the battleground states she’s been campaigning in with just three days to go before the election.
Multiple RTDNA wins for CTV News, including 2 for W5
CTV News won four national news awards and a local news award from RTDNA Canada, the organization announced Saturday night at a gala event in Toronto.
2 people charged in Toronto incident that left police horse and officer injured were out on bail, police say
The driver of a pickup truck who allegedly struck a police horse and rammed several cruisers on Queen Street West on Friday afternoon was out on bail at the time of the incident, Toronto police say.
Here's what you can buy for $729,000 in 8 Ottawa neighbourhoods
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at what you can buy for the average Ottawa home price of $729,000 in eight Ottawa neighbourhoods.
Calgary police issue warning after receiving over 150 calls relating to personal fireworks
Calgary police issued a media statement Saturday reminding residents about the rules regarding personal fireworks after receiving over 150 complaints.
Florida's convicted killer clown released from prison for the murder of her husband's then-wife
A woman who pleaded guilty to dressing as a clown and in 1990 murdering the wife of a man she later married was released from prison on Saturday.