For most of the past decade, a homeowner considering solar was essentially making a personal financial calculation. Does the payback period work? What does the export rate look like? How much do we actually use during the day? Those questions haven't gone away. But something has shifted in the backdrop those questions get asked against.
In May 2026, the federal government released Powering Canada Strong, a national electricity strategy built around two goals: double Canada's electricity supply capacity by 2050, and accelerate electrification across the economy. The document explicitly names rooftop solar and home batteries as part of how the modernized grid will work. It signals publicly what the electricity system is heading toward and who is expected to be part of it.
The Demand Driving It
Canada's electricity consumption is projected to double by 2050, according to the Canada Energy Regulator. Ontario's grid operator, the IESO, revised its own demand forecast upward, projecting 75% growth in provincial electricity demand by mid-century, driven by industrial growth, EV adoption, data centres, and new housing. The federal government estimates the infrastructure build required to meet that demand will cost over $1 trillion between now and 2050.
That investment has a cost, and Canadian ratepayers are already starting to absorb it. Ontario residential rates jumped roughly 29% in November 2025. BC Hydro implemented a 3.75% increase in April 2026. More rate movement is expected as provinces fund grid expansion, nuclear refurbishment, and transmission upgrades over the coming decades.
What Changes…
Solar has always made financial sense in the right circumstances. What's changing is the frame homeowners are using to evaluate it. When the federal government publicly commits to a grid build of this scale, and when electricity rates are visibly moving in one direction, the calculation starts to look different to someone trying to decide whether to move forward.
The Canadian Renewable Energy Association projects that wind, solar, and storage capacity in Canada will double by 2035, based on projects already approved by provincial utilities. Quebec is on track to triple its installed capacity. BC is on track to quadruple it. That momentum is institutional, which is a different kind of signal than what most homeowners have been receiving up to this point.
When rates are rising and the federal government is openly saying the grid needs to double, homeowners start connecting those dots themselves. The conversation gets easier before you've even said a word to them.
If you want to talk through how Skyblue can support your operation as that shift plays out, we're easy to reach.