Solar rooftops have been popular all over the world. It enables you to access clean energy while cutting down on costs. One of the most common clean technology is solar rooftops. However, Canada is lagging even if Canadians are interested in living a more sustainable life.
According to Nicholas Gall, a director at the CanREA (Canadian Renewable Energy Association), Canadians have a lot of roof space, land, and plenty of sunlight. However, only 40,000 solar rooftops are installed in Canada. The United Kingdom and Germany have 20 times more solar rooftops. It’s a huge difference considering, they have lesser sunlight compared to Canada.
In Vietnam, solar rooftops are booming despite the global pandemic. Presently, they have over a hundred thousand installations. As expressed by Gall, “In 2020, Vietnam had more solar installations than Canada. There should be no reason to stop Canada from achieving the same goal.”
The rise of solar rooftops in Vietnam was also a result of their tariff program. This government policy offers businesses and homeowners financial incentives to adopt renewable energy sources and technologies. Then, the utility compensates the producer of energy at a fixed rate for the electrical power they produce over a period.
Ontario also developed its FIT program last 2009. However, it has become obsolete due to the decreasing price of solar. In December 2020, the government announced a detailed climate change scheme. It outlines every step Canada must take to achieve a massive decline in carbon emissions in 2050.
The scheme included grants from the government for homeowners who do energy retrofits, highlighting the need to install solar rooftops. However, the plan did not specify whether solar rooftop installations are part of the retrofit fund. Gall stated that eastern and southern Ontario, southern Alberta, and Saskatchewan, are ideal areas to install solar rooftops because they get most of the sun’s light.