Canada's province of Ontario has announced details of its planned Solar Rebates Program under the Green Ontario Fund (GreenOn). Businesses and homeowners who opt for solar energy along with energy storage systems will be eligible for rebates cash incentives.
Interested homeowners will be able to install solar-plus-storage systems with a maximum capacity of up to 10 kW (AC) with financial incentives of 1.50 CAD ($1.16) per W. Residential standalone off-grid solar PV+storage systems might get 3.00 CAD ($2.31) per W. Qualifying businesses will be eligible for 0.75 CAD ($0.58) per W for solar installations up to 500 kW (AC).
The total incentive value's upper cap is 70% of installed system cost.
All businesses with facilities in Ontario can participate in the program. As for homeowners, the scheme will be open to residents living in existing detached homes, townhouses or semi-detached homes. The rebate is also available to homeowners of new custom built homes.
More information about the program is available on the website of GreenOn.
GreenOn was launched in August 2017 as a not-for-profit provincial agency to help reduce energy costs for homes and businesses through various programs and rebates. It was set up with $377 million in proceeds from its carbon market. One of its programs was related to solar rebates with a budget of 90 million CAD ($70 million). The official launch of the new solar program is scheduled for the summer of 2018.
The Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) has welcomed the initiative saying it will help Ontarians save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). CanSIA expects the program will create more than 5,000 local jobs.