Canada deploys 314 MW of solar in 2024

Canada installed 314 MW of solar in 2024, bringing its cumulative installed PV capacity to more than 5 GW, says the Canadian Renewable Energy Association.

Canada deployed 314 MW of solar in 2024, according to figures from the Canadian Renewable Energy Association.

Vittoria Bellissimo, CEO of the association, told pv magazine that the figure compares to 765 MW of added solar in 2023 and takes Canada’s cumulative capacity to more than 4 GW of utility-scale solar and over 1 GW of on-site solar. The association said that Canada’s solar energy capacity has now grown by 92% since 2019.

While utility-scale solar leads the Canadian market, with 217 major solar energy projects producing power across the country as of January 2025, Bellissimo added that behind-the-meter solar is also picking up steam. “We've got nearly 96,000 on-site solar installations across Canada and I expect that to continue,” she added.

Bellissimo cited the decrease in the price of solar technology, as well as the introduction of clean technology investment tax credits last summer, as among the main drivers of Canada’s solar market. Other market drivers are related to specific jurisdictions in Canada, such as a solar-specific request for proposals planned in Quebec.

“Originally it was slated to be two tranches of 150 MW for a total of 300 MW,” Bellissimo said. “But I think they’re going to up it and we’ll know more about that in May or June this year.”

In Alberta, which holds the largest share of solar projects in Canada due to its open electricity market, industry groups have raised concerns that proposed changes to electricity markets and transmission rules could undermine future renewable energy projects and impose additional costs on existing ones. Bellissimo said the province will need a stable revenue stream to support renewables going forward.

Other provinces, including British Columbia and Ontario, plan to expand renewable energy development through predictable procurement schedules.

Bellissimo said the Canadian Renewable Energy Association has long pushed for long-term procurement schedules, arguing that they enable independent power producers to enter the market and take on risk.

“It also makes it possible for long-term relationships with indigenous communities to develop, so it's a real game changer for how we do projects in Canada and I think we'll start to see it in other jurisdictions,” she explained.

Looking ahead, a key challenge for Canada’s solar market will be ensuring provinces can support additional installations.

“If you look back five years, over 80% of the installed capacity was in one province, but [now] we’re starting to see procurements across the country,” Bellissimo said. “So I really do think Canada is alive to the fact that we need more energy long term and we're doing something about it, which is good news.”

Bellissimo said Canada now needs to focus on how to integrate new solar capacity, including identifying necessary grid services, structural changes, and storage requirements. She added that the country is making progress and that it is an especially “innovative time” for the power sector.