Producing solar power is easier than you think

Years ago, when I started thinking about having our own home, I loved the idea of being able to produce our own electricity by harnessing energy from the sun. Some people living in rural areas choose to live completely off the grid, producing all their own energy and other goods for life, which is awesome. There are many ways to decrease one’s ecological footprint and decreasing the amount of fossil fuels burned to produce society’s electricity is a key one. You may wonder, “but how can this be done?”

During this pandemic, you like I have likely found yourself saying how lucky we are to live in Nova Scotia, for many reasons. Nova Scotia is well known for many things such as the natural beauty of our landscape, beaches and parks, and friendliness. From an environmental perspective, we were one of the early adopters in creating a workable provincewide compost collection and reuse system, which is the envy of much of the world.

LEADING THE WAY

According to Energyhub.org, Nova Scotia is at the forefront of the solar and renewable energy push. We are ranked the top province in the country for installing solar power systems. We also score as one of the best provinces for rebates, financing and installation costs. It seems that our province is committed to reaching the emission targets set for 2030.

Trends over the last few years indicate that solar installation is now becoming more commonplace. More and more homeowners are seeing the value of installing solar panels on their homes to decrease or eliminate their power bills.

With the high and everincreasing price of commodities such as gas, furnace oil and electricity, it makes more and more sense to become your own utility producer. Nova Scotia may also lead the country in the number of small solar energy companies that have become established in specializing in helping home and business owners establish solar energy systems. The beauty of the system is that the homeowner doesn’t have to know much about the technology, nor do they have to wade through complicated papers and programs to become setup.

NO-HASSLE SYSTEM

The solar energy companies take care of all the paperwork, dealings with Nova Scotia Power, application for the provincial and federal grants, inspection of roof and electrical system, and installation and proper operation of the solar system. They also provide a very cool app that is installed on your phone so that you can monitor at any time how much electricity is being produced by one’s solar system. It even shows how much extra energy is being produced that your home doesn’t require, which goes back into the grid where it is purchased by NS Power.

During the early planning phase, determining the size of the solar system required takes into account any possible future electrical needs, such as converting from furnace oil heating, or the purchase of an electric car or heat pumps. By doing this, one could eliminate their power, heating and gas bill.

The cost of installing home solar systems has drastically decreased over the last few years. The cost of hardware such as racking and modules has decreased and manufacturers have ramped up production to meet increasing demand. With the increased competition in the solar energy market, this naturally drives down costs for consumers.

ENCOURAGING GOVERNMENT POLICY

Recently the provincial government enacted a change to the Electrical Act which removes Nova Scotia Powers ability to charge system access fees to homeowners that choose to produce their own power. Our province currently has one of the best net metering programs in the world. For new solar installations, a NS Power credit will remain on the homeowners account for a period of one year.

Recently, the former maximum solar project size of 100 kilowatts was removed which now allows for huge opportunities for commercial businesses to eliminate their power bills and reduce their carbon footprint.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Solarhomes is a provincial program that offers a rebate of up to 30 cents per watt (installed DC) capacity up to a maximum of $3,000. The Canada Greener Homes Grant is a federal rebate available to homeowners which offers up to $5,000 towards a solar installation costs. Homeowners enrol for this by completing a Home Energy Assessment.

With respect to cost, generally speaking, most home solar installation projects pay for themselves in the nine- to 10-year mark, depending on scale and any complications. One nice aspect is that if you obtain financing for the installation, it seems like you are paying yourself back over time since you are actually investing in the solar energy system that has eliminated most or all your power bill.

As our family has recently taken the plunge to install a solar energy system, I can attest to our very positive experience. I encourage you to look into it. You may be pleasantly surprised.