Solar Energy in Canada’s North

• - March 24, 2014

Canada’s north is known for its wild beauty, Northern Lights and long summer days. It is generally not seen to be a solar friendly environment.  But a recent report issued by the Yukon Energy Solutions Centre may change that perception.

Despite common misconceptions, Yukon has an excellent solar resource through most of the year that, on an annual basis, is comparable with many of jurisdictions that are currently leading the world in solar installation (Japan, Germany, Ontario, and the United States).  The report concluded that “grid connected PV systems have been in operation in Yukon for nearly 13 years with successful results.  This report which catalogues the performances of three such systems over the course of five years and shows definitively that this technology works well in Yukon’s harsh northern environment. Over the course of monitoring, these systems have required no maintenance or intervention to maintain their performance and have typically performed as predicted.”

“We often see slightly raised eyebrows when we as a Canadian company present on our work in supporting deployment of solar technologies,” said Dr. Alexandre Pavlovski, President and CEO of Green Power Labs Inc.  “So, we are very pleased to see the work completed by the Yukon Energy Solutions Centre – it certainly helps support our position that solar works in Canada when properly installed.” Pavlovski directed homeowners to the Green Power Labs’ free on line program that helps homeowners evaluate their rooftop’s solar suitability at www.solarrating.ca .  He concluded “as the efficiency of panels in converting sunlight to electricity improves, Canada could step into a leadership role in supporting solar energy deployment in colder but sunny climates.”