Photovoltaics for Small Consumers

Author

François De Falkensteen

Organization

Union des consommateurs

Published

2008

Summary

Energy demand growth in Canada and concerns about greenhouse gases (HGH) are making governments, energy distributors and consumers more and more interested in decentralized energy production (DEP) from renewable sources. Among the technologies that might reach a large number of small consumers (residential
consumers), solar energy technologies offer very great deployment potential. According to recent data from the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CANSIA), almost half (47%) of Ontario homes could use photovoltaic solar energy to produce electricity, whereas more than 2.5 million homes could use passive solar energy to heat water. This number could climb to 4.7
million by 2025 only in Ontario. Far from being reserved for new housing starts, solar energy
technologies can also be integrated to already-built homes. However, deploying photovoltaic energy for residential consumers raises several questions for
consumer rights organizations, notably regarding knowledge dissemination, profitability (in selling the electricity distributor any excess electricity likely to be produced and distributed on
the network or grid by photovoltaic installations), energy cost savings, owner liability, as well as
equipment certification and safety. The industry is particularly focused on the technological aspects of solar DEP, but what barriers confront the small consumer who is interested in solar photovoltaic technology and who could benefit from it? This document is intended as a status report on photovoltaic energy in Canada, and on issues of concern to residential consumers regarding the deployment of photovoltaic solar energy. First, we describe this technology’s applications for small consumers. Then we draw a portrait of the various aspects that a consumer interested in this technology must consider – products offered, prices in effect, financing or installation terms, standards, maintenance, connection to electrical distribution networks (also called “grids”), etc. The second part of the document describes the situation and development of photovoltaic
markets in Canada, Europe and the United States. In particular, we discuss incentive programs and various policies put forward to stimulate this market and, to the extent possible, we report on the results of those incentives. This document does not claim to draw an exhaustive portrait of the photovoltaic technology market’s situation. Rather, our study describes the deployment of PV technology among small
consumers here and elsewhere, in order to issue recommendations as to various paths for establishing a coherent policy of access to photovoltaic technology as a means of producing
renewable energy in Canada.

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OCA Funded Research
This research received funding support through the Office of Consumer Affairs' Contributions Program.

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Source: Consumer Policy Research Database