There are incentives and rebates coming just not exactly sure what they will be. When I know I'll let you know.

Thanks! I heard they would start up 2017, but I'm anxious to know what they'll be. Can't wait to get off grid.

Ya I'm hoping there are some nice incentives coming out. Hoping to help more people go off grid or even on grid.

I have been trying to get up to speed on just how much money the government is trying to spend, on its "green initiatives"
Its not easy to project out the costs. I am all for "green" type things, but there is green...and then there is gang green, and I smell more of the later.
Such as the very idea, of using my/your tax dollars/debt to pay/subsidise the installation of grid solar. Remember the power companies are private for profit businesses, I wouldn't question this if they were publicly owned like they were 20 years ago but not now.....so firstly should we even be thinking about paying for the hardware (panels and such) that a private business(EPCOR) is then going to have free use of(mostly) to sell the benefits it derives (electrons)from our public purchase of hardware, back to us at a hefty markup? It sounds like shooting yourself in the foot twice...

http://www.alberta.ca/documents/climate/climate-leadership-report-to-minister.pdf
http://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=40188F89C489E-F1D6-D4E8-995432A76BC9E7A4
google will find you other reports.

Now as to offgrid, I have said it before and will again.....it does not need to be subsidised, though if we are just going to throw public money around I would rather it here than to private for profit companies. We could allow maybe hardware costs of a installed system to be deducted off your income at tax time? or some such thing though again I say it really isn't needed as solar is now so cheap that the growth is exponential without government interference .
I submit for general interest this fellow who built his own system and kept track of his costs. I should point out that he bought his components in 2009 Just as prices were starting to come down, for example he paid 2400.00 dollars and only got 800 watts of panels...now here or the USA 2400.00 dollars would get you 2400 to maybe 2800 watts of power. Inother words so much power he wouldn't have had to use a propane fridge.
His total cost for everything was 9200.00 way more than he would have to pay today, and part of this cost was 1500.00 for the pole and rack, which is bat shit crazy cause He did everything himself so why not spend 300-400 on steel and weld up your own and save a grand+? he must be a woodworker 🙄

https://offgridcabin.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/off-grid-inventory-22.pdf

https://offgridcabin.wordpress.com/2011/01/15/off-grid-system-overview/

And do note its 2016 now and he is still using his golf cart batteries, bought in 2009 so into its 7th year and all is just fine!! on a 12 volt system, with multiple parallel strings, kept in a unheated garage, and charged with a inadequate (imho) amount of solar( for 1600 amphr size). What I am saying is doing everything less than optimal and He is still hitting a home run so to speak!!

Naits solar installer program is heavly over prescribed right now, and will be for sometime to come due to the demand. In rural Alberta there are now lots of people set up with solar, and I am seeing many more people preparing to pull the plug, I know of homes around me where people have bought all the equipment over the last couple years, and just have to buy the batteries when they are ready, people have caught on to just how cheap it is now....expect the power companies to start complaining about "grid defection" soon.

I just checked on line and there is a comparable system to his (3kw pure sign inverter, 1000 watts of panels + batteries and everything needed) selling for 4446.00 dollars right now in Canada So if a person just added another 1000 or so watts of panels and a few more batteries you would have a killer system...for a couple or 3 people. It just cant get cheaper....I think a person should have to pay something...That's why I say it doesn't need to be subsidised

It would pay for itself fast. But not everyone is comfortable doing it themselves. I figured by having some rebate it would cover the cost of help from a pro.

I understand if you arnt comfortable doing it yourself.....Banks will loan the money on a install and interest on such a loan is practically nothing. Business has already caught on to the savings of solar. Here is the Huderities, not known to make stupid financial decisions running on solar without government help http://thetyee.ca/Video/2015/11/23/Alberta-Hutterites-Solar-Farm/
and here is a rec center going solar., again without government help rather because the numbers add up. http://www.camrosecanadian.com/2016/05/18/camrose-city-council-approves-arena-roof-solar-project

I just think this government is spending needlessly, I might not be so critical of this program if oil was a 100 a barrel and we weren't running deficits.

And another without government money http://www.greenenergyfutures.ca/episode/leduc-rooftop-solar

Thank you. Your replies got me looking into it all from all different angles. The power service out here is trying to get people involved in solar and selling it to them-but you need to use their guys in case it needs repairing so that their service men are safe. There is a big stink in Las Vagas where one of the hotels is changing over to solar and the power company is upset and some of the remedies are causing grief for homeowners who are using solar. Given what I'm reading the best thing seems to be doing it ourselves and forgoing the possible income from selling back any extra.

PS based on what I pay now and the cost of equipment I would recoup my costs in just over 2years

I've decided to get a sea can to mount my solar panals onto in an open area that faces south. Also to store my junk lol. I have the money to set up the whole thing come spring. So I will spend the winter learning how to do it all and where to buy the best equipment. I'm torn about being hooked up to the power grid and selling power back when I can or just being independent. Has anyone else considered this? What did you decide and why ?

Yes, thought about staying hooked up, in fact before I told them where to go I had disconnected the house myself and just left the garage hooked up as I had 240 volt loads (equipment) there. I had changed everything inside the house so I didn't need 240 volts in the house, that lets me use a cheaper inverter, anyway found that I really didn't need the 240volts even in the garage, my 240 volt loads were intemitant, when I wanted to use the odd thing that took 240 I could just fire up a genny for that. So that was one more reason to say good bye to them.
The other reason I told them to pull it was as I became more confident and unhooked the garage, they of course kept sending me bills for being hooked up.
I called them up and told them I had unhooked them at the yard pole and wouldn't be using any power anymore, but I would be willing to pay 20.00 a month just to leave myself able to switch back in the future, after, multiple calls, with a superviser, and others on the line we couldn't come to a agreement, they wanted more and it wasn't worth more to me, so I had to just say terminate the service. So that was done.
I didn't consider grid backfeed at the time. I wouldn't now just because I have come to enjoy the independence. They would just insult me with what they would pay me anyway. Maybe if costs were so high like 10 15 years ago then any amount paid would help the system pay for itself but now...no.
Your going to love the container, that's the way I suggest people do it, you can have your whole system inside and just transmit your 120 (or 240 ) to the house, mines all in the house but I think I will change it in the future. You will learn so much more being unhooked!! View it like the first time you rode without training wheels!

PS: now days 240 volt split phase inverters are becoming more reasonable in price so there may not be the cost pressure to try to stay at 120 volts as I did, but I have found other reasons that still make this a attractive option., for me anyway.

As I move forward, I am definitely not interested in grid-tie. The price of photovoltaic panels & wind turbines are really quite sweet these days, it is not unreasonable to expect to be able to overproduce on sunny and/or windy days. My notion is to employ a dump into something that can consume the excess, but I can't decide what to dump it into (or, what series of things to dump into).

My first thought is to take the excess and sink it into water purification - have a large vessel of potable water with ultraviolet filters, just circulate water and bombard it with UV, whenever the battery bank is charged. I also want to move irrigation water to a high point, a good DC pump could work well there. A large, low-temperature freezer could probably absorb as much energy as I can throw at it. Compressing air in a large vessel is an option - the Amish use this kinda setup for their air-driven tools, IIRC. Heaters in the winter, coolers in the summer. Really, there are any number of ways to create an energy sink for your excess, allows you to avoid having to deal with another economic force that is set on trying to extract a monthly payment from you.

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My husband and I have been attending some sessions put on by the Solar Energy Society of Ab. Basically there will be incentives to put solar installers to work. Incentives for on grid seem unattractive when you consider they want you to use their installers, if there is a power out you will also be out and you can only produce as much power as you use in a year. So you sell back when you produce extra and the times of year you need more than what you generate you buy back. You don't make any extra that would pay for the system any easier. So at my age it'd be nuts. And off grid gets no incentives as the government is only about urban districts using it (not areas with long transmission lines)They want to appear to be for green energy but really don't care except where it makes them look good.

They want to appear to be for green energy but really don't care except where it makes them look good.

This has bothered me for many of years, in Alberta. There is no incentive for the little guy to produce electricity and feed back to the grid. Whether we choose photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, microCHP, or just a big diesel generator playing the lucrative weeks of the year, the playing field utterly dissuades anyone without a couple million bucks to invest.

Were I to set up panels/microCHP in Alberta, I would find a way to first render my consumption to zero, then use the remainder to sink into something else. Heat the driveway in winter, air conditioning in summer, water heater - anything that puts my energy in my own pocket.

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Here is a little story I came across. She is from Colorado living in a tiny house , using a off grid power system she put together her self.

http://fynyth.blogspot.ca/2016/12/fy-nyths-solar-electrical-system.html