Solar power in Canada

Photovoltaic (PV) cells are increasingly used as standalone units, mostly as off-grid distributed electricity generation to power remote homes, telecommunications equipment, oil and pipeline monitoring stations and navigational devices.

Grid-connected solar PV systems have grown significantly in recent years and reached over 1.8 GW of cumulative installed capacity by the end of 2014.

The regions of highest solar potential are located in southern extremes of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.

[4] The northern territories have a smaller solar potential, and less direct sunlight, because of their even higher latitude.

[5] With the introduction of a Feed-in tariff (FIT) in 2009, Ontario became a global leader for solar energy projects.

[10] On July 2, 2010 the microFIT's program rate (for ground-mounted systems only) was lowered to $0.642/kWh by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA).

[11] This new rate means consumers investing in solar energy through the Ontario microFIT Program will experience a drop in profit margin from a 25% range to 10%.