I get the desire for solar - particularly the idea that electrical generation is something that we all need, and price fluctuation is potentially beyond our control. There is a strong argument to be made that private solar generation takes the power away from the big guy and brings it back to you.
The counter argument is that the average cost of power in BC is around $0.12 kw/hr (blend of step 1&2 residential rates). It is among the cheapest residential rates in all of north america (I believe the near term average price increase over the past 10-20 years is actually less than the rate of inflation, which is frankly astonishing). It is an incredibly stable price, not connected to the highs and lows of the oil market because its mainly generated from hydro and managed tightly by the Utility Commission.
I think its important to step back and think about how BC Hydro is a crown corporation - we literally own it. Our tax dollars, our parents tax dollars, and our grandparents tax dollars. In the lower mainland, we have generating station such as the powerhouse at Buntzen lake that are over 100 years old. The current price/stability of electricity in BC is the success story of a multi-generational investment of citizens that is paying off.
I'm not saying to scap your solar project, just realize that the guy on the radio saying 'prices only go up' and 'buy solar with free money' has his own motivations and may be playing more towards perceptions than reality. The BC energy market is not the Alberta energy market - Alberta went from about $0.07/kw in 2020 to $0.24/kw in 2023 and back down to $0.134 in 2024. Crazy price instability over the past 10 years. If I lived in Alberta, I'd have a forest of solar panels on my roof!
