A basic 800-watt plug-in solar kit — the configuration this campaign asks Nunavut to legalize — typically sells for €279–529 in Germany (median roughly €369, or $502 CAD pre-tax after stripping VAT and converting at Bank of Canada monthly average). On a south-facing Iqaluit balcony it would generate about 619 kWh per year.
At Nunavut's typical variable residential rate (31 ¢/kWh including energy, transmission, and distribution charges that scale with usage), that's roughly $98.19 a year in avoided charges. A median-priced kit pays for itself in 5 years 3 months — then keeps producing for another 20+ years of its 25-year lifetime. Over the panel's full life, that's roughly $1,800 of cumulative savings that Nunavut households are currently being denied.
Assumptions skew deliberately conservative: vertical (90°) panel mounting (pure vertical is optimal only at the poles; any realistic installed tilt produces more), 60% self-consumption rate (typical households hit 70%+), 15% shading derate, and no allowance for rising electricity prices. We publish the floor, not the ceiling.
Monthly kWh production — Iqaluit, 800W vertical south
Raw PVWatts output; the payback math above applies shading + self-consumption derates on top.
Sources: NREL PVWatts v8 (monthly production, NSRDB satellite dataset, south orientation, 90° tilt). Nunavut Utilities Commission Rate of Last Resort (energy charge, authoritative) plus verified T&D from utility tariff filings. Product prices: EU retailer listings, VAT-stripped, converted at Bank of Canada monthly average. Full methodology → · Try your own numbers →
Per kWh — the highest electricity cost in Canada. A $500 panel saves nearly $1,000/year.
Electricians for 25 communities. Certified equipment — not certified installers — is the only viable path.
Of diesel displaced per panel per year. That’s a tonne of carbon avoided.
Annual savings per household from a single plug-in panel. The payback period is under 6 months.
Nunavut has the highest real electricity generation costs in Canada — over $0.60/kWh in many communities, subsidized down at retail. All generation is diesel. Every summer-generated kilowatt-hour from a plug-in solar panel is a directly displaced litre of diesel trucked or flown to remote communities at enormous cost. The binding constraint isn’t technology or economics — it’s QEC’s interconnection framework applying a utility-scale process to an appliance.
No new legislation is needed. The authority to make these changes already exists.
Direct QEC to create a plug-in generation category for certified systems under 1200W — exempt from utility application, on-site use, anti-islanding required. Especially valuable for summer diesel offset in each of the 25 isolated grids.
Many Nunavut residents live in multi-unit buildings where rooftop solar isn’t feasible. Start the conversation with your board about balcony solar — it’s the one change that unlocks renewable electricity for renters and condo owners.
Your MLA can raise this issue in the legislature and push for regulatory modernization.
Find your MLA →We’re looking for an organization or individual in Nunavut to lead the local plug-in solar advocacy effort. If you’re interested, get in touch.