The next generation of leaders in Solar.
About ELSE
ELSE is a growing network of young professionals, students, and solar advocates (up to 35 years old), who are working together, and with solar industry stakeholders, to build a solar energy future for their members (Careers), communities (PV Projects), and all Canadians (Education).
Mission:
Professional Development: To secure rewarding solar energy careers for young Canadians by providing them with solar energy skills and knowledge, professional development opportunities, and connections within industry and government.
Projects: To increase the development of solar energy in Canada by supporting and/or leading solar energy projects for a range of stakeholders including, but not limited to, science/research facilities, indigenous groups, schools/school boards, not-for-profit organizations and hospitals.
Education: To increase the level of public awareness and education related to solar energy through educational sessions and projects for schools, communities and indigenous audiences across Canada.
Solar in Canada
The Canadian Solar Industry Association (CSIA) was founded in 1978. At the same time, the federal government started support programs for solar thermal manufacturing and installations. Sensing the need to have their voices heard, several PV pioneers formed the Canadian Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPVIA) a few years later.
Solar hit a bit of a rough patch as support and responsibility for research was continually shuffled back and forth between different government organizations, and the federal government, quoting dropping oil prices, withdrew incentives for solar thermal energy.
In the early days, the off-grid market represented the majority of PV sales in Canada and solar was used for water pumping, remote telecommunication, industrial sensing and road signals, among other applications. Another major market segment was hybrid off-grid systems for powering remote homes and cottages. These combined PV-wind and PV-diesel powered systems were typically about 1 kW in size and were popular in Quebec, the Prairies and the West Coast.
Grid-connected photovoltaics began gaining momentum in 2002, when major revisions to national interconnection guidelines and electrical code were undertaken to accommodate more solar energy on the mains. Several high-profile demonstration projects were also completed, including Canada's first PV neighbourhood (Kitchener-Waterloo, ON) and the first system installed on a government legislature building (Alberta provincial legislature.)
Another turning point was when a dedicated, government-funded PV research lab was founded in Quebec. Some insightful bureaucrats suggested that the two industry associations merge, so CSIA and CPVIA amalgamated in 1992 to form the Canadian Solar Industries Association, acting as a unified voice for the entire solar industry. Since then, the organization has championed successful policies to grow the industry, including:
the ecoEnergy Retrofits grants program (2007-2012)
the provincial Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program which offered a base price for renewable energy (2006-2008)
Ontario’s Feed-in Tariff program, which was a cornerstone of the Green Energy and Economy Act (2009-present).
and for new programs being developed in Quebec, Nova Scotia and Alberta.
Where are we today?
It’s astounding the progress that solar energy has made in Canada over the last twenty years. From humble beginnings and a hodgepodge of government research projects and incentive programs, Canada’s clean energy sector is booming today. This year, REN21 ranked Canada as 10th in the top countries for non-hydro renewable power capacity. Net metering is now available in all provinces and territories, and support for building integrated PV is also growing. In Ontario alone, 12 research centres are dedicated to alternative energy R&D.
Over the last several years, solar PV installations in Canada have skyrocketed from 790 kW in 1992 to 765 MW in 2012.
Cumulative Canadian PV Installations MWDC
Renewable energy is now an integral part of our energy mix and is fulfilling the important role of bridging the generation gap caused by phasing out coal. The IESO estimates that as of 2013, Ontario will have 1,100 MW of solar PV capacity, accounting for 3 percent of total supply mix. Solar is expected to generate 1 TWh of electricity, resulting in less than one percent of our province’s energy generation. While we still have a ways to go, this is a far cry from 2003, when coal generated 25% of our energy and only 400 kW of grid-connected solar was installed nationwide.
At the time of the FIT program launch in 2009, there was a single module manufacturer, silicon refiner, and inverter manufacturer producing solar PV components in Ontario. As of June 2013, more than 30 solar and wind manufacturing companies are operating in the Ontario. Solar manufacturing now employs approximately 3,000 people, while the province’s Green Energy and Economy Act has helped to create 31,000 jobs.
Canada is fighting hard to develop a world-leading clean energy and technology economy, focusing on manufacturing, resource development, technology exportation and human capital. With the growth of the Canadian and global PV industries, a number of entrepreneurial Canadian companies have pursued technological innovations in advanced PV modules, power electronics, building integrated PV, and manufacturing processes. The development of formal networks and state-of-the-art testing facilities through federal and provincial funding has also increased company and university research collaboration.
Between 2005 and 2012, carbon emissions from Ontario’s electricity system have decreased by 40% due to conservation, efficiency, increased renewable and decommissioning of coal power plants.