Sask. gov’t moving up timeline on rooftop solar decision

Amid frustrations from customers and the solar power industry, the minister responsible for SaskPower has committed to moving up the timeline on a new net metering program.

Last week, SaskPower announced it had hit the 16-megawatt cap for the net metering program two years early and was closing the program to new applications.

That left some solar panel companies in the lurch and some customers having spent money on panels but without a program to join.

On Monday, Dustin Duncan announced the timeline would be weeks instead of months to review the net metering program and announce something to replace it.

“We are very pleased that there has been significant growth, year-over-year growth in terms of net metering in the province and rooftop solar,” Duncan said.

“We want to ensure that it can continue forward into the future in Saskatchewan, we want to give certainty to the industry … and we also want to ensure that it’s done in a sustainable manner so that it’s not a burden to people who either choose not to have solar panels on their own homes or, for whatever reason, cannot have them.”

SaskPower will now review the program and figure out whatever might replace it. Duncan said there will be a rooftop solar program, but, as of Monday morning, he said he hadn’t seen the options available yet so he couldn’t say what that program might look like.

Duncan didn’t say it was the outrage from the public that has him pushing up the timeline for a new program; he simply said he wasn’t prepared to wait months to get an answer to the question out to interested parties.

The review will look at things like the incentives in the program, such as how far credits can be carried forward and the size of projects allowed in applications.

“In terms of the incentives that are available — and I think as you look at our incentives currently in Saskatchewan compared to most jurisdictions in Canada it is a very generous program — we’re going to be looking at the level of those incentives. But I’m not going to rule any of them out today,” said Duncan.

Duncan mentioned the cost pressures attached to the net metering program, noting there’s a premium on the solar power produced on rooftops versus the solar power SaskPower can buy through a large-scale utility source.

When asked whether a transition program might have been a good idea, Duncan said SaskPower might have been able to have something for a transition, but the net metering program filled up too fast.

He said a 16-megawatt cap was what Cabinet approved, and there would have been some problems if SaskPower hadn’t abided by the wishes of Cabinet.

Duncan said he hoped to have a plan in place by the end of October.

NDP: decision shows sad incompetence

The NDP’s SaskPower critic, Trent Wotherspoon, didn’t mince words Monday morning on the net metering program.

“It’s like it’s amateur hour here in the legislature on this file. (There’s) clear incompetence from the minister, and the fact that he couldn’t reverse the damaging decision that was brought to the industry with one day’s notice last week is really baffling and, of course, really disappointing,” said Wotherspoon.

Wotherspoon said the “burgeoning” solar panel industry is at risk, as well as the risk to the investment and expertise that has built up in the province.

According to Wotherspoon, there’s nothing wrong with a transparent review of a program, but the government shouldn’t be halting the program to do it.

Wotherspoon said the sooner a decision and program can be announced, the better because there are livelihoods at risk.