In May 2021, the government of Canada introduced the Canada Greener Homes initiative to
assist
homeowners with making energy-efficient upgrades to their homes among other incentives.
Some of
these upgrades include but are not limited to the addition of solar panels. As part of
the grant
application process, it may be necessary to provide a letter of approval or permission
for the
interconnection of your grid-connected solar system. Should this be required, you may
provide
the offer to connect letter issued by Hydro One for < 10kW projects or a copy of your
Connection Impact Assessment (CIA) for > 10kW projects. For more information about
the grant,
you can access the Government of Canada website: Eligible retrofits and grant amounts
(nrcan.gc.ca).
Important News Regarding Amendments to the Planning Act for Renewable Energy Generation
Facilities
The siting restrictions in O. Reg. 274/18 which were
administered by electricity distributors such as Hydro One have been replaced by
amendments to
the Planning Act (Ontario) that puts siting and planning requirements for renewable
energy
generation facilities under municipal oversight.
If we have provided you with
a
Connection Impact Assessment ("CIA") and a Connection Cost Agreement
("CCA"), it does not mean that you are permitted to build your Generation
project in
the municipality where your Generation project is located. As such, we recommend, if you
have
not done so already, that you immediately discuss municipal permitting and approvals
requirements with the planning department in the municipality where your Generation
project is
sited before you proceed.
