Solar Energy
Generating Electricity using Solar Panels
Green Basics Advanced Green Steps Speaking Green Success Stories
Green Basics Advanced Green Steps Speaking Green Success Stories
Are you confused about how to generate electricity from solar panels? If you have questions about costs, income, how much energy you can produce, insurance, or taxes, you've found the right website. We don't sell solar equipment so our information is unbiased.
We are homeowners who installed solar panels in 2010 and have learned a lot. This is a resource to help you understand more about generating electricity using solar panels. We hope you find it useful, and we would love to hear your feedback. Scott & Laurie Bennett
See how much energy is generated across Ontario. Here are over 15 solar power examples from various communities.
Graph of how much solar power our system produced
In Ontario, the government has created the microFIT Program to encourage homeowners and businesses to generate solar energy and sell it to the province as a source of clean power. This program gives the solar power generator a 20 year contract to purchase energy from rooftop solar panels at 80.2 cents per kilowatt. The province has set this rate to give investors a "reasonable" rate of return on their investment.
We've enrolled in the microFIT program and installed 20 solar panels on our roof. There are 3 key elements to maximizing the solar energy you can capture; location (generally the further South, the more energy potential), roof direction (ideally South or South-West facing roof), and the type of solar panels you choose (quality matters).
Here are some additional details abour our solar energy project:
