Let’s Talk About Your Solar Energy Project

It is a Hydro-Québec rate option for customers who generate their own electricity. The kilowatt-hours your installation feeds into the grid are credited to you in a surplus bank, then deducted from your consumption during periods when you produce less. The bank is reset to zero every 24 months; the remaining balance is then credited on your bill, at the rate set by Hydro-Québec. Summer surpluses thus lighten winter bills.

When continuity of supply, control of power demand or energy independence are among your priorities. If your only goal is to reduce your bill, net metering credits may be enough. A battery becomes worthwhile as soon as an outage has serious consequences, peak demand weighs on your costs or you want to use your own production in the evening. Our analysis costs out each scenario, and the installation can be designed to accommodate storage later.

Not if you enrol in net metering: that option and Rate Flex D, on which Hilo is based, are mutually exclusive. By choosing net metering, you return to the base rate. Self-generation without compensation, where surpluses are not credited, is another avenue; its compatibility with Rate Flex D must be confirmed with Hydro-Québec. We compare the scenarios using your data.

Reduced production, but very real. It is the short days and the low angle of the sun that limit it, not the temperature: photovoltaic modules become more efficient in cold weather. As for snow, the tilt and dark surface of the panels help it clear naturally soon after the sun returns. Our annual projections account for this seasonal dip.

Yes. Certified photovoltaic modules have undergone tests for hail impact, wind and snow loads, and wide temperature swings. Their service life commonly reaches 25 to 30 years, and the loss of output due to aging remains low, in the order of 0.5% per year.

Most roofs are suitable, whether sloped or flat, covered with shingles, metal or a membrane; only the mounting method differs. Three criteria matter more than the material: orientation, ideally south-facing, tilt and, above all, the absence of shading. The condition of the roofing matters too, since a roof near the end of its life is best redone before the panels are installed. Our site assessment establishes the surface that can actually be used and the structural capacity of the building.

The direct current produced by the modules is converted into alternating current by the inverter, then routed to the distribution panel. It supplies the building’s loads first. The excess recharges the battery, when the system has one, or is fed into the Hydro-Québec grid.

Minimal attention on your part. With no moving parts, the panels wear very little, and precipitation does most of the cleaning. Oversight relies on real-time monitoring, which flags any production gap, and on the periodic inspections included in our maintenance program.

Yes, provided it is planned for at the design stage. Adding a charging station, electrifying heating or expanding a building all change the load profile. When you wish, we therefore reserve the roof area, inverter capacity and electrical panel space needed for an expansion. The modular design of our storage systems also makes it easier to add capacity.