What is Community Solar?
Community Solar is a gateway for homeowners without suitable rooftops or financial means, and tenants who have no control over their building’s physical assets, to reap the benefits of locally produced renewable energy. The principle is simple:
A medium-sized solar generation facility is installed at a suitable site within a community and the electricity is fed directly into the local community grid. This facility could be on private or public vacant land, over parking lots, or on large roofs.
Any electricity consumer in the community can subscribe to a portion of the facility’s kW capacity and earn a credit for their share of the generated electricity on their electricity bill.
Because of economies of scale, Community Solar costs less than individual household rooftop deployments and therefore achieves greater financial returns as well as better greenhouse gas impacts than individual household deployments.
Community Solar assets can be financed, owned and governed by community-based entities such as OREC.
Community Solar contributes to local economies and community wealth, while also helping Local Distribution Companies like Hydro Ottawa meet their increasing electricity demands. Generation can be placed in areas with high load growth (e.g. Kanata) and can offset the need to build expensive new transmission resources.
Ontario needs Community Solar right now.
The Government of Ontario is looking to “distributed energy resources” (DERs) to help meet the province’s increasing demand for electricity in its new Integrated Energy Resource Plan. It’s goals: increase resilience of local and province wide grids, reliably, quickly and at the lowest cost. Community Solar fills this need very well. By expanding DERs beyond customer net metering, Community Solar can maximize the contribution of DERs to the province’s future energy needs.
Community Solar is not new. Nineteen US states have enabling legislation which has led to the installation of over 4,000 MW of solar generation over the last 10 years. New York State leads the way with almost 2,000 MW. Several states have special rules that set aside a portion of subscriptions for low- and middle-income households. US renewable energy co-operatives are key players in financing and owning Community Solar. Nova Scotia is the first province in Canada to offer a Community Solar program.
Ontario’s Policies Needs to Change
Several changes to Ontario’s legislation and regulations are needed before Community Solar can become a reality:
LDCs need regulatory authority to purchase energy from local generators like renewable energy co-operatives;
Local energy generators need to be allowed to sell subscriptions to their members, other residents and business without complex licensing bureaucracy;
Locally produced energy needs to be acknowledged and valued for its positive contribution to line losses, peak demand challenges plus its low GHG emissions.
OREC Advocacy
OREC is working for you - local consumers who seek a better electricity mix in Ontario, and where all consumers can benefit from locally produced renewable energy whatever their means or location. OREC recommends that the above policy changes be made part of Ontario’s Integrated Energy Resource Plan. OREC recommends that Community Solar is supported province wide. OREC and its members are also ready to invest in a pilot Community Solar program in Ottawa in a demand restricted area of the city. The need for innovation has been identified, so let’s meet our local energy challenges with local solutions!
Roger Peters and Graham Findlay
Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-operative (OREC)
December 2024
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