Could A Federal Rooftop Solar Program Transform Canada? You bet.

Andrewglaser / Wikimedia Commons

This article is a contributed opinion piece from OREC member Dr. Nicolas Chagnon, an emergency physician in Ottawa. He draws on his first-hand experience with climate- and pollution-related health impacts to share his perspective on how rooftop solar could benefit Canadians. This article originally appeared in The Energy Mix, 25 August, 2025.

Working as an emergency physician, I see the direct effects of heat waves and poor air quality from wildfire smoke on the health of my patients.

As an individual, I have worked to minimize my carbon footprint and I have been lucky to have the means to install solar panels on our garage roof linked to a rechargeable battery. During sunny days from March to October, the panels generate enough solar power that my house can be off the grid for several hours at a time. The battery stores excess solar power that can be consumed in the evening, lessening the need for grid electricity at times of peak demand.

The thing is, this type of solar and storage setup should not just be available to wealthy individuals—it should be more accessible to all Canadians. And there are numerous compounding benefits of having widespread, country-wide adoption of solar and storage.

For one, it would encourage local solar businesses across the country. It would provide steady, meaningful employment to electricians and tradespeople. If the solar panels were sourced locally, the business could lessen our trade dependence on the United States.

So it’s a good way to grow our economy.

Screenshot showing my home electricity use on a sunny day, May 27, 2025. Note the off-the-grid period from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and that 67% of the household’s total electricity needs were met by solar and storage that day. (Nicolas Chagnon)

Second, more widespread residential and commercial roof-mounted solar would significantly lessen electricity demand from the grid during peak times, such as hot summer days when air conditioning use increases. This would also directly lower household energy bills, or even generate credits when excess solar power is exported back to the grid.

So it’s a good way to address the cost of living crisis.

Third, solar and storage solutions can increase household resilience during extreme weather-driven power outages. By lessening power demands from the grid, there can theoretically be a decreased need to build new power generation infrastructure like gas-powered thermal plants, thus lowering emissions. Solar power is renewable for as long as the sun rises.

So it’s a good way to reach our climate goals.

First Nations would stand to benefit from this technology as well, as solar and storage could reduce their dependence on imported fuel for generators and local power plants, lessening local pollution, and increasing energy independence. This is an area where many Indigenous communities are already taking the lead, and there’s so much more that can be done.

So it’s a good way to advance Reconciliation.

Another significant advantage of rooftop solar is that it is very quick to deploy, in addition to being one of the least costly forms of energy. A national rooftop solar initiative could therefore fit well with the Mark Carney government’s objective to move fast and build things quickly.

If Germany, situated at a higher latitude than most large Canadian cities, can be a rooftop solar leader, there is no reason Canada cannot also be in the game. At the very least, Canada should consider requiring rooftop solar for all new construction, like the United Kingdom is set to do starting in 2027.

A Canada-wide federal rooftop solar and storage initiative could be a truly nation-building project that converts the wasted, fallow roof space on our homes and businesses into clean energy-generating infrastructure. This low-hanging fruit should be a priority for the new Liberal government as it is an all-around win for Canadians.