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FAQs

Renewable energy and efficiency-focused building solutions are pretty new on the scene here in Newfoundland and Labrador. Naturally, you’ve got questions. And we’ve got answers! Check out some of the most common queries below. If your curiosities crave more info, don’t hesitate to reach out using the form at the bottom of the page.

How much electricity can I actually generate?

Probably way more than you think! St. John’s has better solar potential than Tokyo, Berlin, and London, all of which have well established solar economies. And wind, well, we’ve all felt the power there.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro or Newfoundland Power Net Metering Service Option lets customers generate as much electricity as they will reasonably use, while staying connected to the grid. This means that you can install enough solar or wind to cover your entire energy load over the course of a year– and end up paying close to nothing on your utility bill – but you can’t generate a bunch of excess electricity to sell. It’s about saving you money, not running a power plant.

There is also an overall cap of how much you can generate on one site, but this cap is pretty big and only really relevant to commercial or institutional customers – if your home uses over 95,000 kWh/year, you should probably tackle energy efficiency first… The only time we’ve ever come close to this limit with a client was for a double ice rink.

Isn’t NL dark and grey most of the time?

We’re not Southern California, but thankfully, that doesn’t actually matter. Solar panels are really a bit misunderstood. It’s not direct solar radiation that gets them excited enough to make electricity – they just need brightness. And we get plenty of brightness even on overcast days. This is not a limiting factor when deciding if solar is right for your family.

Surprising to many people, solar panels actually don’t like to be hot. Really hot and sunny places may get more solar radiation, but that can contribute to the panels overheating, reducing their efficiency. The mild and breezy climate in NL is actually pretty great for keeping panels happy.