Edmonton Alberta is the second sunniest city in Canada, with an annual average of 2,345 hours for a total of 325 days of sun per year. As this infers, it makes good business sense to leverage the power of the sun for energy to run your commercial enterprise. Nonetheless, as a savvy operation, you want to improve your bottom line even more. Knowing that federal and provincial interests spearhead the move towards renewable energy, you’re aware that there are solar incentives for businesses in Edmonton that can cover a very significant portion of the investment. Below is a breakdown of these incentives. Begin the beneficial transformation this season while funding remains available.
Solar Rebates and Incentives for Edmonton Businesses and Commercial Properties 2023 Building Energy Retrofit Accelerator
Edmonton’s Building Energy Retrofit Accelerator (BERA) is a rebate program that offers commercial and institutional property owners financial incentives for energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy installations. Solar incentives for businesses are included among a total of seven rebate categories. Businesses can receive up to $80,000 for solar PV installation.
The deadline to apply for this program is June 2, 2023, or when rebate funds are fully allocated. Apply here.
“Under BERA, Edmonton businesses receive up to $80,000 for Solar PV installation.”
Building Energy Benchmarking Program
This is an interesting one in that instead of outright providing a rebate, it empowers property owners by providing them with valuable information about their building. This information can be applied to energy-efficient upgrades.
The Building Energy Benchmarking (BEB) program is for Edmonton building owners and operators with facilities of over 1,000 square feet. Commercial property owners benefit from technical support and customized building benchmarking reports. These have tangible financial value as one would normally pay for the data. Furthermore, beneficiaries will gain access to additional financial incentives to help offset the costs of retrofits, such as solar panel installation.
The deadline to apply for this program is November 15, 2023. Apply here.
Clean Energy Improvement Program
The Clean Energy Improvement (CEI) program allows qualifying businesses to receive up to 100% financing for renewable energy projects on commercial property, including solar upgrades. Repayment is also made more convenient as it can be funnelled into the property’s regular tax bill as long as the property has 5 years of tax payment history within the City of Edmonton. Moreover, repayment stays with the property, rather than moving with the business. To reiterate, financing is tied to the commercial property, not the property owner.
There is no established deadline for the program (yet) but act now to ensure you don’t miss out. Apply here.
Alberta Energy Savings for Businesses
Alberta’s Energy Savings for Business program helps Edmonton businesses improve efficiencies and reduce emissions by supplying funding for commercial cost and energy-saving technologies. The program is comprised of four offerings:
- Comprehensive Energy Savings (CES),
- Energy Savings for Business Program (ESB)
- Expanded Technologies Pilot (ETP)
- Small Producers Energy Efficiency Deployment (SPEED)
- Solar air heating funding is available through the ESB program, while Solar PV and heating is available through the CES program.
At press (April 2023) funding made available through the program has been awarded. However, a waiting list for the next launch is being created right now. Apply here.
Agricultural Carbon Offsets | Micro-Generation Protocol
The Distributed Renewable Energy Generation Protocol program offers carbon offset payments for small-scale solar power producers. The business incentive is found in the acceleration of tax write-offs on solar equipment; up to a 50% Capital Cost Allowance per year. View more.
EcoCity Edmonton | Climate Innovation Grant Program
EcoCity Edmonton generally provides funding support for energy efficiency upgrades to institutions and non-profits. However, they have thrown their support behind the Climate Innovation Grant Program.
One of the program’s focus areas zeros in on organizations that run into unexpected roadblocks when attempting to switch to renewable energy. It seeks to help organizations overcome systemic, regulatory, and/or policy barriers to the deployment of low-carbon products, technologies or processes. They have explicitly stated that solar lands in this category:
“Reducing the additional costs incurred when developing large-scale solar projects”
Traditional businesses do not qualify, but if your organization counts as a Qualified Canadian Donee you may.
Application to the 2023 program is now closed, BUT qualifying organizations are asked to express interest in participating in the March 2024 relaunch. This forward-looking approach leads us to our next point regarding solar incentives for businesses in Edmonton.
More to Come?
Depending on when you find this resource, you may discover that some of the rebates and incentive programs have expired. For instance, there was the Alberta Municipal Solar Program that was launched in 2016, and due to its popularity, all available funding has been fully allocated. This is an example of how and why it’s important to act quickly while programs that you currently qualify for still have funding available. Conversely, it’s also important to check back often, as new programs may be announced. In either case, call to inquire about how you can enjoy incentives for converting to solar power today. Furthermore, stay tuned to BLDG Electric News as we keep Edmonton businesses updated along the way.
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