With Ontario’s new Feed-in tariff will it become a leader in solar energy?
Written By: smartpv1 on December 4, 2009
8 Comments
Ontario is trying to emulate Germany’s and Spain’s success of their Feed-in tariffs. Germany currently has the most PV installed in the world even though their solar resource is less than Canada’s, let alone the southern US. In Germany, the alternative energy sector now employees more people than the automobile industry! Can this happen in Ontario? With the new Feed-in tariff a rooftop solar array will have a simple payback period of approximately 7 years. Not too bad, considering the contract with the Ontario Power Authority will last for 20 years!
Tags: solar energy
I don’t think it’s going to happen in Canada as the govt would rather bail out auto-companies than put money into alt. energy. It’s great that Ontario has a feed in tariff but i don’t see any of the other provinces following suit!
How does this compare to wind power and other alternative energy sources?
How many solar panels do you need on a roof to provide adequate energy needs for the an household? Must you have good SouthWest exposure?
The amount of solar panels required to power your household depends on how much electricity you consume. For instance if you heat your house with electricity this number will be higher than for a house that is heated with gas or oil. As an example, in Toronto the average power consumption for a residence is 1100kWh/month. You would need a solar power system with a rated power of approximately 10kWs to supply this amount of power. This would take up an area of ~80m^2. However, if you are lucky enough to live in Ontario you can get paid $0.802/kWh for the next 20 years for energy generated from solar power. This is about 10X higher than you are currently paying for electricity. So if you installed a 1kW system this would be sufficient to cover your electricity bills.
Six of our panels would do it and they would only take up about 8m^2 or an area 4m x 2m. At a cost of only $2.50/kw, you are looking at a price tag of $2,500 plus tax. In order to connect to the grid you would also need an inverter, mounts, wiring and installation. Total cost should be less than $7,000. We can recommend an installer and provider of the balance of plant components mentioned earlier.
Yes, a Southerly exposure is best.
Please feel free to contact us via phone or the contact form if any of this is unclear.
The typical payback period is approximately 7 years but depends on location and mounting option. The top feed-in rate is $0.802 per kWh for any system under 10kW. All the rates can be found by following the link:
http://fit.powerauthority.on.ca/Storage/99/10863_FIT_Pricing_Schedule_for_website.pdf
How can I buy your pv system? Can I purchase them online?
Hi Philip,
Yes, you can purchase all your PV panels from us online by going to our product pages off of our home page www.smartpv.ca. You can also order by phone: 647-248-7799 or 647-727-7503.
Thanks!
What is the typical payback period.