Alberta Environment Minister Shannon Phillips has announced a $36-million plan to place solar panels on as many as 10,000 homes within three years, the Canadian Press reports.
“More details are to come and the rebates are to be available as early as this summer,” the news agency writes in the National Observer. Phillips says her goal is to build on a doubling of rooftop solar panel installation last year. “Albertans are keen on solar.” she said in a statement. “Today’s announcement will keep the momentum going.”
- The climate news you need. Subscribe now to our engaging new weekly digest.
- You’ll receive exclusive, never-before-seen-content, distilled and delivered to your inbox every weekend.
- The Weekender: Succinct, solutions-focused, and designed with the discerning reader in mind.
The government said the plan will “reduce solar installation costs by up to 30% for homes and 25% for businesses,” CP reports. It also predicts the subsidy will “create 900 jobs in the next few years” while reducing greenhouse gas emissions “equivalent to taking 100,000 vehicles off the road.”
Alberta’s NDP government has enacted several other, more broadly-based measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions outside the province’s tar sands/oil sands industry (where they are expected to increase into the next decade), including a carbon tax on fossil fuels.
