David: I think it comes down to a couple of main things.
Access to Sun Hours
We have really good access to the sun here.
Number one, you have to have that, and here in Alberta, we have a wide range of sun hours that go across the province. In Alberta specifically, and in BC, there is a lot of difference in sun hours, but the majority of western Canada has great access to the resource. At the end of the day, it also has to make sense financially. But the number one driver is that we do have that resource, which is good.
Deregulation verses Regulated Markets
You know another thing specifically in the Alberta market where I am situated, it comes down to the mix of the deregulated and regulated markets, and the financial benefit for the developer. The result is some unique financing structures coming in. At the end of the day, it is going to come down to the energy and commodity cost.
In Alberta specifically, there is a good market for developers to come in with a good solution, low-cost energy generation, and that’s why I think it is on such an upswing. The pricing and solar and energy generation has come down to the point where it is very competitive, and perhaps more than our traditional sources of energy. So, that’s why I see it as a huge and great market for solar in Western Canada.
Vishal: That’s great. We’re seeing so much development there. We’re being contacted by lots of local developers in Alberta. But we’re also starting to see people coming from Eastern Canada, but also European developers, and U.S. developers take an interest in projects in Western Canada. Specifically, Alberta, more than some of the other provinces, but Saskatchewan is on the radar as well from some developers out East.