In its bid to help solarize Ontario, and perhaps, all of North America, Home Energy Solutions has just released new technology designed to make clean energy even cheaper and more efficient. The MicroBlox solar kit aims to reduce many of the concerns stemming from shading, snow and rubbish, limited roof space, and variable, seasonal sunlight. Utilizing the DC-AC Microinverter System designed by Enphase Energy, it produces power from single solar power panels, with efficiency rates 25% higher than conventional systems.

“This new technology shows huge promise for cleaner and renewable energy in Canada,” said Home Energy Solutions President Dave Egles. He went on to add that

Ontario roofs rarely have a large continuous pitch. They have dormers, skylights, valleys, and vents. With the smaller solar building blocks, we can put solar on different roof slopes and have the total output combined. The MicroBlox flexibility allows more people to install solar and to participate in programs such as Ontario’s Micro FiT program.

Solar Energy Classes to Supply Professional PV Panel Installers

Technology is not the only sector of the solar industry that is gaining traction. Schools, like the Ontario Solar Academy, are cropping out throughout the province in order to train students in solar panel design and installation. Such programs are becoming increasingly necessary since, according to CanSIA’s market survey, the solar industry in Canada could face serious labour shortages by 2011 unless dramatic steps are taken to fill empty installer positions.

At the heart of Ontario’s solar boom is the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) Program, a special incentive that allows owners of solar installations to feed excess energy back into the utility grid at pre-determined prices. Similar programs have been launched across the globe, but Ontario’s eco-friendly policies suggest that the province’s FIT initiatives could yield much higher rates of buy-in from homeowners sitting on the fence.