Update: Shortly after the Ontario Provincial election in June 2018, the GreenON incentive programs were shut down.

ORTECH will monitor the situation for any updates or new programs related to Solar PV.

What is Solar Net Metering?

Net metering allows an electricity user to install a solar PV facility onsite to generate electricity for internal use, with any excess going to the grid for a credit on future electricity bills. Net metering has been an option in Ontario since 2015 and is governed by Ontario Regulation (O. Reg. 541/05: Net Metering). However, only recently has the price of electricity and the cost of installing a solar PV facility made net metering with solar PV worth considering. Some key business drivers that the Client should consider when evaluating whether net metering with solar PV makes sense now (2018) are: the risk of electricity price increases; time sensitivity for incentives; cost savings; and the company’s reputation, which will benefit from generating “green” electricity.

So what are the rebates available for Ontario Businesses?

The program provides the following incentives:

$0.75 per watt for commercial Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system
approximately $26.00 per square foot for Solar Thermal Air installations

So, what is your next step?

First, ORTECH can assist you with the business case. Does this make sense? How much will this system cost? How much will I save? What are the first steps? Contact us to find out.

ORTECH has created a list of items that are recommended to initially move forward with a Solar Net Metering project.

The initial tasks include:

Pre-Assessment with the Local distribution company;
Development of a financial model;
Preliminary Solar panel layouts;
Preliminary Electrical design;
Preliminary estimate of Energy outputs;
Structural verification of the facility;
Complete and submit an application for a Connection Impact Assessments to your local distribution company;

If you are interested in seeing if a solar PV system would make sense for your facility, please contact ORTECH today.