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| Our modest solar installation |
Beginning March 1st, 2016, the NDP Government of Alberta (with the aid of funding from the Federal Government of Canada) will begin accepting applications for the "Alberta Municipal Solar Program" and the "On-Farm Solar Management Program".
The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Oneil Carlier, recently said that "Agricultural producers embrace innovation and are good stewards of the land. The solar installation program will help increase farming efficiencies, reduce power bills and greenhouse gas emissions and add to Alberta's power grid." Information seminars are being held throughout Alberta regarding this program. Not unexpected, the usual catch 22 is attached discriminating against low income earners, i.e. small farmers. To be eligible the farmer must have a minimum of $10,000 in farm and livestock income. Besides the $10,000 catch 22, I suspect there are other less obvious discriminators, but perhaps I'm reading between the lines when there's nothing between them.
I can't help but wonder, why do these grants apply only to farmers and municipal buildings? What about individual home owners who would be interested, for the sake of the environment, for supplementing their power bill? The more homes using solar for power, the less drain on the grid, leaving grid power for industry and negating the need for government funding to expand the grid system.
What about people who want solar installations who are not connected to the grid (those using generators or those having no power at all) who would not be lessening their "power bill" and would not be contributing to the "power grid" but could improve their quality of life dramatically? I know several families in my own area who fall into that category.
What if someone just wanted to go all out, someone with enough land so that an installation would not be offensive to neighbors, someone who is not a farmer, what if someone like that wanted to build a solar installation that would reduce "greenhouse gas emissions and add to Alberta's power grid"? What if they were willing to inject a chunk of their own cash into this project? Would such a person be eligible for any government assistance? Just how serious are the provincial and federal governments about stimulating alternate energy projects that might actually provide a source of income (a job?) to someone willing to take a gamble on a better future?
For those are eligible to apply under the current programs, will they be able to bank credits in the summer to be applied to their power bill in the winter when sun is scarce? When we looked into this idea several years back you could only bring the power portion of your current bill to zero, but you could not amass credit toward future bills or receive any actual cash back. Also, ask anyone with a power bill, how much of that bill is power? How much is administrative costs, line charges, etc? I hear my friends complain about these costs quite frequently. It's my understanding that solar credits will be applied only to electrical usage, not to these other fees. Do not ask this Alberta farmer about power bills though. I do not know. I have never had one and I have lived in Alberta for 42 years.
After living without power for 10 years, in 1984 we raised the first solar panels onto our roof. We did this for two reasons. The first is that we have always tried to be environmentally conscious and we saw this as a step toward a better future. The second reason was that power lines were 2 miles away. Putting grid power in was cost prohibitive. Since then we have added to our system several times, upgraded the panels, added more, gotten an efficient inverter, a diesel generator, and brought our home into the modern world - more modern, I feel, than homes having grid power. All the investment in our power system came from our own pockets, even though people applying for grid power at that time were subsidized to an extent, and able to stretch installation costs over many years.
We would very much like to get a bit of help to upgrade our oldest bank of solar panels with newer, more efficient panels. How nice it would be if, for once, our needs fit within the parameters set out for government grant eligibility. On pension income, we sure could use some help! And when our current battery bank has lost its efficiency, it would be just grand if we could get help to pay for a new more efficient battery storage system instead of having to dig another gob of cash out of our increasingly shallow pockets.
Just saying....
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So I went to this website: On-Farm Energy Management Program - Growing Forward 2 - Government of Alberta, www.growingforward.alberta.ca › Progra...
Right at the top of the page it said "not accepting applications at this time". Gotta love governments.
I also looked at the AMSP site. There is a clause there stating off-grid installations are ineligible.
I'm not one of those Albertans clamouring to blame all the woes of the current economy or Alberta's dismal fiscal reality upon the fledgling NDP government. They have, after all, come into power in the wake of a 40 year Conservative Dynasty, when world oil prices are as low as they've ever been, when the Canadian dollar is in the tank, when addressing climate change is both expected and demanded by anyone with a thinking mind. But in their exuberance to make changes they have made errors, mostly in public relations, and have had to backtrack, apologize, appease. They need to remember that one reason they came to power is because the Conservative vote was split, not because all the folks in Alberta are excited by their ideas.
I have found, though, that this government cares enough to respond - to comments I've made on FaceBook and Twitter, and hopefully to direct contact with MLA's.
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Copy of this blog sent:
To the Alberta Government Ministers of: Agriculture and Forestry, Hon. Oneal John Carlier, and Environment & Parks, Hon. Shannon Phillips
Also to the Federal Minister of Environment, Hon. Catherine McKenna
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