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Solar panel rebates coming to Alberta homes and businesses

February 27th, 2017  |  Canadian Business

Alberta is taking measures to incentivize the installation of solar panels. Home and business owners who want to cut costs should take note.

Yesterday, the province's Environment Minister, Shannon Phillips, announced that a $36-million rebate program for solar panel installation should be in place by this summer. It will be funded at least in part by cash that the government has amassed through its carbon taxing program.

Not only will it benefit home and business owners, it'll help out the economy as a whole, by creating an estimated 900 solar sector jobs by 2019. And, of course, there will be a significant environmental impact. Phillips said that the subsequent reduction on greenhouse gas emissions will be equivalent to taking 100,000 vehicles off the road.

In Alberta, solar energy has been on the rise for some time. Since 2015 alone, the province has doubled its solar uptake.

"Albertans are keen on solar. Todays announcement [....] will keep the momentum going," Phillips said Monday at the Edmonton solar company Gridworks.

While there are undoubtedly benefits to this type of an initiative, some critics have also pointed out its drawbacks. Public representative Don MacIntyre criticized the rebate program for being a case of the government artificially propping up an entire sector, and not allowing the industry to become self-sustaining.