Produce renewable energy on-site

Before you invest time and money to produce your own electricity, figure out how much energy your business uses. Conduct an energy audit to establish your energy consumption baseline and then find ways to improve efficiency. Simple solutions like adding automatic timers to light fixtures and encouraging staff to power down their computers when they leave work are easy but efficient ways to save energy (and therefore money).

Once you’ve done an energy audit and implemented strategies to increase your business’s efficiency, you will have a clearer sense of what size of solar energy system you need.

These three variables will help you determine if solar is right for you.

Your current energy needs

• Solar modules can scale from single-panel setups to whole solar farms. Knowing how much power you are looking to generate will help determine how many modules you will need and how much your setup will cost.

Your available space

• To accommodate your modules, you will need sun-facing surfaces like rooftops or external walls. If your company doesn’t own its building or outdoor space, or if you do not have a lease agreement that allows for solar panels to be installed, then solar will not be a viable option unless you come to an agreement with the property owners.

Your building’s structural and electrical capacity

• Depending on how much power your planned solar energy system will generate, you may also have to upgrade your building’s structure or electrical system to accommodate the added weight and electrical output that comes with a solar energy system.

A solar energy system can be expensive to install, especially if you have to renovate your building to accommodate it. That’s why it’s important to understand what you can expect to spend, and how much you can expect to save.

Depending on where you are in Canada, your carbon and financial costs associated with your electricity use will vary. This is because some forms of electricity generation, like hydro and wind, are relatively cheap to produce. Assess your power bill spending over a 25-year term—the warrantied lifespan for most solar modules—to decide if that money will be better spent on a solar setup instead of a power bill.

There are currently a variety of loans, financing options and tax incentives available across Canada that can help ease the costs associated with installing a solar array.

Once you’ve got a handle on your energy needs and your budget, find a reputable solar construction company to build your customized solar energy system.

To help you switch to solar, BDC has put together a step-by-step guide. You will find all the information you need to select the right panels, customize your installations and make sure you keep the power flowing all year round.

Keep track of your energy consumption to make the most of it. Use the lessons learned in your energy audit to keep your company accountable for its energy use and continue to find ways to reduce your overall energy consumption. By using less, you may end up producing excess energy from your solar setup, which you can then sell back to the grid, giving you another revenue stream.

Keep track of your energy consumption to make the most of it. Use the lessons learned in your energy audit to keep your company accountable for its energy use and continue to find ways to reduce your overall energy consumption. By using less, you may end up producing excess energy from your solar setup, which you can then sell back to the grid, giving you another revenue stream.

On the right, we compiled a non-exhaustive list of tax credits and incentive programs for different provinces.

For your information, the Accelerated Investment Incentive applies to all of Canada. It allows businesses to immediately write off the full cost of specified clean energy equipment.