The Feasibility of Solar Power In Canada
When you think of solar power, Canada may not be the first place that comes to mind. It is often associated with cold weather, limited sunlight, especially during the winter months, there is still a lot of solar power potential here. There are an abundance of open spaces, which could support large enough solar arrays to offset the lack of ‘direct’ sunlight. There are also many other solar applications, thermal, passive, and photovoltaic that can indeed make promoting the idea of solar energy on a mass scale possible.
Because of vast stretches of wilderness from one metropolitan area to another, many kilometers can separate small communities from large power grids. For many, it is more feasible to set up a solar power system for their home or small community than spending the thousands of Euros to bring a power grid to them. It is also much cheaper than ever before for individuals to bring solar power to their homes, with so many different websites available that can teach you have to build your own solar systems extremely inexpensively.
While Canada is not as ideal in relation to the sun as other areas, during the summer months, there is plenty of sunshine, and for much longer periods of time. This can provide an abundance of sunlight to power homes and small communities. During the winter, while the days are shorter, angling the panels, adding more of them, and using other alternatives can make up for the lack of direct sunlight. Some of these alternatives can include wind turbines, hydroelectric, and even a backup generator can be much more reliable and less expensive.
With new technologies being developed for solar energy, photovoltaic cells are more efficient, able to pick up light spectrums that are as yet unharnessed, and cells developed that can be applied to roofing tiles etc., the potential is just about limitless. This means that solar power is cheaper, and more efficient than ever before.
Canada is growing by leaps and bounds when it comes to solar power. There are more and more private households, as well as businesses that are turning to this alternative source of free energy. There are also a number of commercial applications, from navigational markers run on solar, traffic signals, and even municipal water distribution, just to name a few.
In late October of 2009, the government in Ontario launched what is called Feed In Tariff, or Fit for short, and microFit programs. This program encourages the development and use of renewable energy sources, especially solar power. The regular FIT program is for helping to install projects of 10 Kilowatts or more, with the miroFIT program to encourage smaller projects, like residential solar power systems. Thanks to this program, in October of last year, the largest solar array in the world was put into use, providing power to more that twelve thousand homes in Sarnia, Ontario. The Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant produces 80 megawatts of electricity.
Ontario is also the leader in the market for solar energy, installing over 400 MW of power, almost double of what has been installed in California. By 2015, with all the contracts that they have going on, they expect reach over 2,600 MW. You can find out an abundance of information about these projects how to get started building and installing your own panels from a number of online resources.
Grasshopper Solar Providing Solar Panel Installation, Maintenance & Repair Services in Ontario, Canada. Install a Solar Panel Systems to create a reliable, long-term revenue source.
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