This past month, an earnest young man visited to give me a free assessment of my home’s “fitness to wear solar panels.”.“But I don’t want any solar panels,” said I..“There is no pressure. If you give me some information about your power usage, I can tell you whether installing solar panels makes sense for you or not. What you do with that information is up to you and you won’t hear from me again.”.I gave him the information and as promised, was visited by a nice young lady from Nova Scotia who showed me pictures of her childhood home on the Bay of Fundy. We had a nice conversation about the statue of Evangeline and the Acadians who remained in that part of the world and then she gave me a report that would justify my decision to install solar panels..“But I don’t want any solar panels,” I persisted..She assured me that I was under no obligation and, if we talked again, it would be of my own volition. I believe her..I have no intention of installing solar panels, but I enjoyed the conversation and was impressed by the business development tactic of their employer..Using the projected cost data provided in the report, I built a spreadsheet model of my power consumption and costs for the next twenty years..As I suspected, there is no economic case for installing solar panels in the absence of large subsidies..Over a twenty-year time frame the solar panels earn only an 8% return. Over ten years the solar panels earn a negative 2% return. All of the value of solar panels is earned in the highest risk, final ten years..Using the current subsidies and assuming they will persist for the next ten years suggests I would be stupid not to install solar panels on my roof because the payout is about five years..The current subsidies for solar panel installation include a $5,000 grant and an interest free loan of up to $40,000 payable over ten years from the government of Canada..On top of that, Enmax will sell me power for seven cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and buy power from me for twenty-five cents per kWh. The solar system for my house was designed to balance power purchases against power sales resulting in a $180 cheque for every thousand kWh that I consume. Magic!.But I am not going to install solar panels..So why not sign up? .I don’t trust the government..The government of Saskatchewan had an incentive program very similar to that of Alberta and cancelled it three or four years ago. Solar installation companies went bankrupt and those who had bought solar systems had their payout period go from a dozen years to a couple of dozen years..Additionally, if I need to change my roof because of a hailstorm, I will have to dismantle the solar panels and then remount the system. In my forty years living in Calgary, I have replaced my roof three times. It is a given that I will have to replace it again in the next ten years. Do you think that will be subsidized?.Finally, the Government of Canada is subsidizing a $38,000 vanity purchase with $28,000 of my grandchildren’s money. Even a skinflint like me is not okay with that trade..When someone tells you solar energy is the cheapest form of electricity available to Canadians, ask them if they are willing to install solar panels without government cash. If they aren't, then ask them why they are so willing to steal from their grandchildren. Oh, but they will be saving the earth..Mr. Poilievre! If you want some savings, look over here!
