MicroFIT
Program Information – Ontario
Power Authority
Tax Implications – Canada
Revenue Agency
Insurance Tips – Insurance
Bureau of Canada
Financing- TD
Canada Trust
Financial Calculator – SWITCH
Ontario Sustainable Energy Digest -- spreadsheet for analyzing the
financial performance of a PV system.
Frequently Asked Questions
How
big a system do I need?
How
are PV systems sized?
How much do PV systems cost?
How much could I save/earn with the PV system?
Are PV systems expandable?
What happens if there is a blackout?
How big are the panels? How much space
will a system take up on my roof?
What is the ideal orientation for the panels?
What happens when I have to change my roof?
Can I install a solar electric system myself?
How
big a system do I need?
Most current solar
electric power systems in Canada are off-grid, storing their energy
in batteries to supply essential loads. Here is it critical that the
power system is properly sized to provide an adequate amount of power
throughout the year -- sizing calculations are based on the expected
power usage of the load, ie. weather station, cottage, camp, lighting
system etc. Natural Resources Canada has a good guide for rough sizing
of off-grid loads, read
here.
In the case of grid-tied
systems, the North American electrical grid is there as a backup and
sizing need not be based strictly on the load of your home or business.
A system sizing approach is usually based on a combination of available
roof area with good solar exposure and project budget.
In the case of a MicroFIT
system, a larger system will realize a greater return on investment
so financing is not an issue it makes most sense to put up the largest
system (up to 10kW AC) your site will support.
How
are PV systems sized?
PV systems are typically
rated in terms of kilowatts (kW). Basically, this number is the addition
of the rated power output of all the panels in the system. A 1 kilowatt
system under full sun will produce approximately 1000 watts. Grid
tied systems typically fall in the range of 1-3 kW, however many homes
could install larger systems up to 8kW for very large roofs.
In Southern Ontario a kilowatt of installed PV array will produce
1000-1100 kilowatt hours of electricity. By comparison, a typical
family in Canada is using 9-10,000 kilowatt hours per year. For the
typical family, 1 kW will produce 11% of their power usage.
An efficient household, one with new appliances, and an energy conscious
lifestyle will use 4-7,000 kilowatt hours. For them each kW of PV
will produce 16-28% of their power.
Within the current
framework of the MicroFIT program, the incentive rates are grouped
within system sizes. For rooftop, the highest rate is for systems
up to 10kilowatts (of AC power). This means that your inverter capacity
cannot exceed 10kW, however the DC rating may be higher, within the
limits of the inverter capacity.
How
much do PV systems cost?
The following installation
cost guidelines include labour, taxes, all hardware,
permits and equipment required to connect your roof mounted PV system
to the grid for a MicroFIT contract.
3-5 kilowatts DC @
$5.00 to $6.50 per watt
5-8 kilowatts DC @ $4.75 to $5.50 per watt
8-12 kilowatts DC @ $4.25 to $4.75 per watt
The cost per watt drops
as the system size increases because the same infrastructure costs
(labour, connection equipment, inverter etc) apply to even the smallest
systems. PV systems are generally more cost effective with larger
arrays.
How much could
I save/earn with the PV system?
Under the MicroFIT program you would earn $0.802 per kilowatt-hour
of electricity produced. This amounts to $800 to $850 per kilowatt
peak capacity installed under ideal conditions (<10% shade obstruction,
SSE to SSW orientation and tilt of 35-55 degrees from horizontal).
Are PV systems expandable?
Generally speaking
yes, however this should be planned for and discussed during the site
assessment/consultation process. There are certain sizes that one
can expand within depending on the inverter being used in the system.
A PV inverter is only rated to convert so many watts and cannot be
expanded beyond it's specifications, 1-3kW inverters are common, as
are 3-5kW, 4-7 etc. Also, today's grid tied inverters do require a
minimum startup voltage, meaning you cannot typically have a very
low amount of PV power (say 1kW) feeding a large inverter (5kW).
Micro-inverters are
another option for creating an expandable system.
NOTE: MicroFIT
systems cannot be expanded without a contract negotiation for such
a "phased" project.
What happens
if there is a blackout?
That depends on your
system. Most grid-tied systems have no batteries included and will
not provide power when the grid is de-energized. This stems from a
universal utility requirement that independent power producers be
unable to send dangerous voltage out onto the grid which could be
a hazard to line workers.
For those concerned
about blackouts, a grid tied system can be designed to include batteries
and transfer switching to isolate the home from the grid and draw
power temporarily from the battery bank. A battery bank will add about
25% to the cost of the system.
For MicroFIT connected
systems which are required to be connect in parallel with the distribution
grid, a battery system is not able to be included with the solar.
How big are the
panels? How much space will a system take up on my roof?
In order to reduce
the cost per watt and speed installation time, the trend in the solar
electric manufacturing has seen the power output of modules rise.
Standard PV panels intended for grid-tied applications is 180-250
watts. These panels are approximately 3.5' x 5' in size and weigh
approximately 40lb a piece.
Every kilowatt of generation
will require about 65-80 square feet of roof space for flush mounted
systems (not tilted up off surface).
What is the ideal
orientation for the panels?
Photovoltaic panels
are sensitive to orientation and site conditions. The optimum compass
orientation (called azimuth) is true South, with SE to SW being perfectly
acceptable -- moving East or West drops power production further (by
roughly 20-25%).
The best tilt angle
for the panels is approximately equal to the latitude of your location,
about 45 degrees for Southern Ontario. Summer only applications should
be tilted lower (30 degrees) and Winter applications tilted higher
(60 degrees) to shed snow and capture the lower sun. Panels can be
flush mounted to roofs or raised off the roof with racking. Racking
can achieve the optimum angle and allows airflow to cool the panels,
increasing efficiency. Racking can also be variable, allowing a homeowner
to change the angle of the panels with the season. Ground, pole mounts
are also an option with or without tracking systems.
Shading is very important
to the PV array, especially with many of today's high voltage grid
tied systems where the panels are strung together one to the other.
Shadows greater than the width of your thumb are of concern. Shadows
at a site can be managed with string layout design or a micro-inverter
or maximizer strategy that isolates the shading effect.
What happens
when I have to change my roof?
The array will have
to be removed and reinstalled after the roof is redone. This would
require about 0.5-1 day to remove and 1-2 days to replace -- no disruption
to the home's electricity would be required.
Can I install
a solar electric system myself?
Self installation of
grid-connected solar electric systems is possible (homeowners can
apply for electrical permits for work done at their home) however
we would definitely not recommend this option to
the general public. Only qualified personnel should connect a high
voltage PV system to the grid.
A small off grid cottage type system operating at low voltage can
be self-installed with appropriate electrical skills, caution and
preparation.
The following installation
cost guidelines include labour, taxes, all hardware, permits and equipment
required to connect your PV system to the grid under the MicroFIT program.
3-5 kilowatts DC @ $5.00
to $6.50 per watt
5-8 kilowatts DC @ $4.75 to $5.50 per watt
8-12 kilowatts DC @ $4.25 to $4.75 per watt
Options within system
design includes, micro-inverters or maximizers, monitoring options,
flashing options and warranty extensions.
These estimates
are based on flush racking on an asphalt roof with 240 to 250W modules
and central string inverters.
