Solar Club helps micro-generators get more for their solar electricity

When it comes to making decisions about products and services for a home, choosing an electricity provider is probably one of the least exciting decisions to be made.

When you break it down to its bare bones, electricity is electricity. There is nothing unique about the kWh sold by one company or another. But that doesn’t mean shopping around in Alberta’s deregulated market shouldn’t be a priority; especially if you have installed a solar system on your home, business or farm.

A BRIGHT NEW PROGRAM FOR MICRO-GENERATORS

Innovative. Profitable. Local. Three words that describe the Solar Club, one of the most popular electricity programs currently available to Solar PV Micro-Generators in Alberta.

Alberta’s Micro-Generation Regulation allows Albertans to meet their own electricity needs by generating electricity from renewable or alternative energy sources. Under the regulation, micro-generators receive credits for the electricity they produce but do not consume. Small micro-generators are credited for the electricity sent back to the grid at their monthly retail rates.

The Solar Club, launched by locallyowned energy retailer Utility Network & Partners Inc. (UTILITYnet), was designed to pay micro-generators a reasonable price for the surplus electricity they produce and ship back to the grid.

“Alberta has a wealth of imaginative and environmentally sensitive people, and the number of solar systems installed in the province is on the rise,” says Nick Clark, director of UTILITYnet. “This growth is encouraging, but we asked ourselves, how can we encourage even MORE micro-generation investment in the province? How can we help make a difference?”

Each Energy Marketer is locally owned and operated, has a unique story about why they entered Alberta’s energy market, and does its part to give back to its local community.

And so, the Solar Club was born.

Members of the club have access to exclusive electricity rates and receive 2 per cent cash-back on all electricity imported from the grid annually. Additionally, members will have 50 per cent of the electricity they import from the grid offset by Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) free.

The key to this program’s popularity has been the ability to switch between a high export rate of 25.85 ¢/kWh and a low export rate of 8.10 ¢/kWh with no penalties, depending on the time of year and the amount of electricity they are importing and exporting.

Simply put, when solar generation is highest, and a micro-generator is exporting more electricity than it is importing, they can choose to be on the 25.85 ¢/kWh rate. When the seasons begin to change, and they begin importing more electricity than they export, they can switch to the 8.10 ¢/kWh rate.

LOCAL ALTERNATIVES

Since the deregulation of Alberta’s electricity market over a decade ago, UTILITYnet has helped launch over 20 local Energy Marketers that are offering micro-generators access to the Solar Club. Additionally, these small local businesses offer competitive rates for electricity, natural gas and high-speed internet services to consumers across the province.

Each Energy Marketer is locally owned and operated, has a unique story about why they entered Alberta’s energy market, and does its part to give back to its local community. By choosing one of these local alternatives, Albertans can feel good knowing that what they pay for their utilities is staying within the province, not ending up on the balance sheet of a large corporation in the US or abroad.

Solar PV Micro-Generators can join the Solar Club today by signing up with any of the following Energy Marketers: • Abode Power (www.abodepower.ca) • Camrose Energy (www.camroseenergy.com) • Get Energy (www.getenergy.ca) • Mountain View Power (www. mountainviewpower.com) • Park Power (www.parkpower.ca) • Spot Power (www.spotpower.net)

• Vector Energy (www.vectorenergy.ca)