Blog entries

Snow & Solar: How To Survive Ontario's Winters

Justin Cummings — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:22:15 +0100

Many Ontarians are feeling the chill, as January comes to a close and the historically bleaker February looms on the horizon. If you've got a solar system set up on your home or property, how do you deal with the snow that will inevitably wind up covering your precious panels?

This article provides some really great pointers on how you can maintain your panels as best as possible in the midst of a winter wonderland. Most panels, including those installed by Clearly Solar, are angl...

ON Gov't Provides Property Tax Clarity

Justin Cummings — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:42:58 +0100

Have you struggled with the financial side of solar? If yes, you're not alone, because many Ontarians find the current property tax treatment of solar (and other renewable energy sources) baffling. There's good news, though, because the Ontario government recently issued a new set of property tax clarifications that will seek to clear the muddied waters around solar generation and tax rules.

According to this article, the main reason for these statements, in addition to simple elucidat...

Ottawa-based Research Promotes Solar Innovation

Justin Cummings — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:53:10 +0100

In this article from the Ottawa Citizen, Bert Hill explores how our city's National Research Council (NRC) has been slaving away at a slew of solar-related research projects, intended to push the envelope to new ways to take advantage of solar energy, and produce easier, simpler, and more commonplace methods of keeping it green.

Thin-film organic polymer plastics are seeing huge boosts in efficiency, and may well see the light of day implemented as part of shopping bags, or other house...

New Clearly Solar Installation Pics!

Justin Cummings — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:16:29 +0100

Check out our Portfolio page for some updated shots of Clearly Solar FIT and microFIT installations across Ontario! These images are updated often, so check back and see what solar really looks like. Try to imagine how it would look on your roof or property...pretty snazzy, right? And on top of the ultramodern look, profit flowing directly from the sky into your piggy bank doesn't hurt either! There's never been a better time to go solar - as you look at these photos and dream of your gr...

New Clearly Solar Installations (Pics Inside!) + Global Uncertainty

Justin Cummings — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:35:45 +0100

Howdy y'all! We wanted to share some images with you of some recent Clearly Solar installations across Ontario.

Check out these shots of one of our recent roof-mounted Ottawa projects, and these two shots of one of our ground mount tracking systems near Smiths Falls. These photos, as well as many more of Clearly Solar's installations (both commercial and residential) will soon be available on the Portfolio section of the Clearly Solar site. Take a look to see what a solar sy...

Clearly Solar Teams Up with BMO (+ Solar Seminar Info!)

Justin Cummings — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 02:02:36 +0100

Hello everyone! Time for a special announcement: Clearly Solar is proud to announce its new partnership with BMO Financial Group, who will be helping our clients with solar financing questions and concerns. It's a great honour to partner with yet another of Canada's sterling financial institutions, and we hope they can help you make your solar aspirations a reality!

In related news, our next Solar Seminar is coming up fast! In addition to our stellar Clearly Solar staff, represent...

Frequently Asked Questions: Green Energy

Justin Cummings — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:30:03 +0100

Here's a great link to the Pembina Institute's website, where the director of renewable energy and efficiency policy, Tim Weis, has released a very useful FAQ about green energy that will surely answer any questions you have at this pivotal point in the solar game.

The FAQ makes Ontario's green energy situation very clear, stating in simple terms the true reasons why your hydro rates are rising, and what will happen to electricity pricing if the Green Energy Act is discontinued. It als...

ORI/OSEA Solar Workshop Coming Up!

Justin Cummings — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:19:42 +0100

Clearly Solar will be attending the Ottawa River Institute's upcoming sustainable energy discussion/workshop in Cobden, ON on Wednesday October 19th. The event is a partnership between ORI and the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) and will feature live webinars, discussion panels, and workshops designed to encourage and inspire green energy projects in small communities.

No prior knowledge about renewable energy is necessary; just bring your questions and you'll find answer...

Solar Parity Around the Corner in Europe

Justin Cummings — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:42:37 +0100

According to this article from Platts.com, solar PV is catching up to grid electricity and could become fully competitive within ten years!

Of course, this prediction applies only to Europe - Italy leading the pack with parity possible by 2013, with Spain, Germany and the UK expecting to reach the same point by 2020 or so. The competition solar could provide to the grid is described as "dynamic grid parity", and is defined as "the point at which the value of the long-term electric...

Samsung Opening Solar Plant in London, ON

Justin Cummings — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:36:13 +0100

You heard it here first: Korean megaconglomerate Samsung is committing to the construction and implementation of a solar panel manufacturing plant in London, Ontario. What makes this extra exciting is the promise of at least 200 green energy jobs created to help the economically-troubled London (which is apparently "home to the highest big-city unemployment rate in the country").

Of course, if a Conservative government is elected in October - and PC leader Tim Hudak sticks to his promi...

Good News for "Constrained FIT Applicants"

Justin Cummings — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:08:39 +0100

As many of you will be acutely aware, Ontario's Hydro One had a great deal of difficulty handling the amount of FIT applications landing on their desks this summer. Many people were able to acquire the FIT or microFIT project go-ahead from the Ontario Power Authority, but denied the chance to use it by an overwhelmed Hydro One.

If this situation sounds familiar, then we have good news. The OPA has recently issued a statement letting FIT applicants know that all hope is n...

Keeping the Sun in Your Pocket: Energy Storage Goes Solar

Justin Cummings — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:56:57 +0100

The USA has recently made strides in a field many consider fruitless - or at least, not quite "ready for primetime".

According to RenewableEnergyWorld.com, one of the main elements holding back renewable energy from worldwide adoption is the problem of - once you've yoked the sun's power into your grasp - how do you store it? Imagine the possibilities for future life-improving technology, and a thriving green energy industry, if we were able to grab beams of sunlight from the sky ...

Cancellation Clause CANCELLED!

Justin Cummings — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:23:54 +0100

Good news!

It seems that the Ontario government has decided to step in and ensure that the Ontario Power Authority is no longer able to back out of some 1800 FIT contracts currently being processed. Provided that suppliers meet domestic content requirements, the OPA will no longer be able to deny these green energy projects at any stage of the approvals process.

Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak has promised that, if elected, he will kill the FIT program. He had agreed to h...

The Ballad of Windsor, ON

Justin Cummings — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 03:44:01 +0100

Windsor has always been on the small side of average for an Ontario town, but its ties to the motor industry in Detroit have kept it afloat. The prospect of a burgeoning solar industry there have promised more jobs and an even stronger economy. They may not be entirely ready for such success, however, as grid capacity restrictions are stopping their efforts to create solar projects, and may even cost residents their jobs.

Blame is being pl...

Hudak's Self-Fulfilling Solar Prophecy

Justin Cummings — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 03:40:12 +0100

The answer is simple: because if solar is important to you, as it is to so many Ontarians who believe in its worth and its capacity to produce a better economy and a cleaner environment, then you will vote against Hudak. Hopefully enough people feel the same way that our future need not bring us back to square one.

And if you’re a betting person, I wouldn’t recommend placing your money on a guy who is so clearly shortsighted on an i...

Ontario Spies Some Spanish Doubloons

Justin Cummings — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 03:35:19 +0100

Here's a link to an interesting article that provides an international perspective on the Ontario solar industry.

Nuclear, No. Solar, Sì!

Justin Cummings — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 03:32:33 +0100

There is also a possibility that with the potential scrapping of these proposed nuclear projects, the money will be used to create green energy projects, that would ideally fall under the FIT program’s jurisdiction. It sure is nice to hear we may have some money coming our way!

Keep an eye on the headlines, and we’ll see how this one pans out. In the meantime, do you think McGuinty is right to delay the advancement of nuclear? ...

The Jobs Go Up, and Hudak Goes Down

Justin Cummings — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 03:27:43 +0100

400 jobs will be created here alone. Hundreds more are created every month, as new companies wise up and jump on the solar bandwagon. If you’re reading this, then you’re interested in solar, and you know the truth. In case you don’t, though: give us a call!

Think Clearly!

Domestic Content Requirements Spark International Unrest

Justin Cummings — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:11:33 +0100

We mentioned a while back that some of Canada's chief trade partners (namely the United States and Japan) were disquieted when, with the induction of the Green Energy Act in Ontario in 2009, it was announced that all green energy projects falling under the Act were required to meet certain domestic content requirements - that is to say, a certain percentage of materials needed to come from Ontario.

Japan, and more recently the USA, felt maligned by this regulation, considering it...

Energy Minister Duguid on The Future Of Solar

Justin Cummings — Fri, 20 May 2011 07:00:00 +0100

Clearly Solar CEO Jim Cummings with Energy Minister Brad Duguid

Yesterday, Canada's Minister of Energy, Brad Duguid, met with renewable energy industry leaders from across the country to discuss the present state of, and hopeful future for, Canada's Green Energy Act.

Minister Duguid said that he was working closely with Hydro One and other local distribution companies (LDCs) to expand grid capacity and allow as...