Industry Insight
Is Solar the Future?
Solar and wind are getting cheaper every year. Here is why that matters for Ontario homes and cities.
Solar and wind are getting cheaper every year. Here is why that matters for Ontario homes and cities.
Originally published in 2021 as a commentary piece. Statistics are drawn from sources cited at that time, including the Renewables 2020 Global Status Report, and are kept as a dated snapshot.
Climate change has brought real hardship, but the future can still be bright, and solar is a big reason why. For Ontario homeowners deciding whether rooftop solar is worth considering, the broader trend matters: solar and wind keep getting more competitive every year.
Each year, renewable energy such as wind and solar becomes more cost-competitive with conventional power plants, especially coal. In regions including China, the EU, the United States and India, solar and wind have become widely adopted and, in many places, cheaper than new coal-fired generation, according to the Renewables 2020 Global Status Report. Fossil fuels come from organic matter and geological processes stretching back billions of years, and we burn them far faster than they form. That is one reason many countries are adopting cleaner alternatives that are profitable, affordable and sustainable.
The costs of climate change are expected to far exceed the costs of prevention. According to the sources cited in the original article, the United States experienced hundreds of billions in climate-related disaster damages since the 1990s, with consequences including death, disease, injury and environmental degradation. The point is simple: preventing damage is usually cheaper than recovering from it.
Governments began focusing on "building back better" through green recovery measures, with greater investment in renewables, infrastructure and job creation. The benefits include better ecological and human health, energy security and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Cities play a major role, since they account for roughly two-thirds of global energy use and three-quarters of global CO2 emissions, according to the same report. Municipal decisions on housing, transportation and urban planning, including support for rooftop solar, can contribute to improved public health, resilient infrastructure, cleaner air and local jobs.
By the end of 2020, dozens of countries and well over a thousand jurisdictions had issued climate emergency declarations, and young people in many countries joined climate protests. Mayors and governments adopted commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reach net zero emissions by 2050. The open question, raised then and still relevant, is whether progress is fast enough.
Policy debates like these can feel distant, but one thing is concrete: Ontario households and businesses can generate clean electricity on their own property today. Rooftop solar reduces how much power you buy from the grid, and a battery can add backup protection. Terawatt Solar designs and installs residential solar and commercial solar systems across the GTA with our own ESA-licensed crews. To see what is available now, visit our incentives page, then book a free site assessment to find out what solar could do for your property.
It depends on your roof, usage and goals. A free site assessment will show you what a system could produce and cost.
See our guide on whether solar is worth it in Ontario for a practical look at costs and payback.
