fuels the employees at EthoEnergy as
they endeavour to change the world one
roof at a time. The staff practice what they
preach; most have solar panels on their
own roofs.
Five years ago, the cost of installing so-
lar panels was three times the current
value. Now prices are dropping due to
government incentives and increased in-
vestments in renewable energy. Govern-
ment incentives include the Feed-in-Tariff
(FIT) Program for businesses and the mi-
croFIT Program for homeowners. In both
systems, consumers generate power on-
site and feed it into the grid to earn a nine-
to 10-per-cent return on investments an-
nually.
Community Solar is another promising
incentive. Originally started in the U.S.
for homes and businesses that were un-
able to install solar panels on their roofs,
this program utilizes a central location for
a commercial-scale installation through
which power is distributed to neighbouring
areas. Still in its infancy in Canada, EthoEn-
ergy is in the process of advocating for its
adoption.
A REGULATORY RISK
Regulation is the biggest challenge of the
industry, imposed through governmental
bodies and utility companies. In places
where utilities are privately owned, renew-
able energy can be regarded as a threat to
the business model of these companies.
“There’s a potential that if renewable en-
ergy continues to grow at the pace at
112 business elite canada
H
MAY 2016
