Solar power is a beautiful and timely solution to some of the most pressing problems in history. The Ontario MicroFIT solar program pays rural landowners 80.2 cents per kilowatt (as of July 2010 the rate was changed to 64.2 cents per kilowatt) for systems that are either roof or ground mounted with a capacity of less than 10 kilowatts. These renewable energy systems are seamlessly integrated into our rural landscape.

In June 2010 this rural landowner completed the installation of this 10 kilowatt ground mounted solar array. The two parallel arrays each consistent of 24 solar photovoltaic panels rated at 230 watts each, for a total of 48 panels. Each of the two solar arrays is rated to produce 5 kilowatts per hour for a total of 10 kilowatts per hour peak production capability. Evergreen Power installed the system for about $90,000  a significant savings over the cost of such a system when compared to just a few months before the Ontario MicroFIT program was introduced.



After the solar array was installed, it was necessary to have it inspected and approved by ESA. Once approved, the utility company installed a new meter for eleven thousand one hundred and thirty dollars. This particular system went live on the Ontario grid on June first 2010.

The entire system took about a week to install. The foundation for the panels went in first. At the lowest point these panels are just four feet above the ground to ensure that no snow build-up occurs during the winter.

Two manually adjustable tilt angles can be set to optimize solar generation for winter and summer. In the summer the angle is set to approximately thirty degrees while in the winter the panels are switch to about forty degrees to account for the low position of the sun in the sky.

The Ontario MicroFIT program for solar panels requires some Ontario content for the system components. For 2010 the program requires 40% Ontario content. Starting in 2011 the system must include 60% Ontario content. More and more solar panel, inverter and mounting system manufacturers are setting up manufacturing facilities in Ontario in order to meet these requirements.

Conical concrete pillars were installed in the ground about ten feet apart to provide an approximately 200-kilometer per hour wind load strength. Each pillar provides threaded rods to allow each mounting pole to be adjusted to ensure it is level.

Inside the insulated shed are two Solectria Renewables inverters rated at 5 kilowatts each. Since the system as been in production, each 5 kilowatt array has produced about 440 kilowatt-hours of electricity for export to the grid. Total generation since the system was put into production is about 880 kilowatt-hours, which work out to about $700. Monthly income from the system looks like it will come in at around $1,200.

The new meter was installed about two feet to the left of the consumption meter. The generation export meter for the solar array shows 894-kilowatt hours of total electricity production. On the meter base for the solar system are manual disconnect levers for utility line works as well as a single line diagram that shows the configuration and layout of the system. At this rate the system may pay for itself in seven or eight years. Solar is so simple and yet profitable. When are you going to install your system to start generating profits?

Want to understand what the MicroFIT program is, why it works and how you could establish it in your community? Check out this documentary...