A basic 800-watt plug-in solar kit — the configuration this campaign asks Yukon 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 Whitehorse balcony it would generate about 701 kWh per year.
At Yukon's typical variable residential rate (14 ¢/kWh including energy, transmission, and distribution charges that scale with usage), that's roughly $50.06 a year in avoided charges. A median-priced kit pays for itself in 10 years 4 months — then keeps producing for another 15+ years of its 25-year lifetime. Over the panel's full life, that's roughly $672 of cumulative savings that Yukon 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 — Whitehorse, 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). Yukon 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 →
Old Crow proved solar works in extreme cold. The technology question is answered.
Recent electricity bill increase for Yukon households. The cost pressure is real and growing.
Diesel-dependent communities that could benefit immediately — they don’t share the main grid’s constraints.
Of summer daylight. Yukon’s seasonal solar resource is enormous during the months it matters most.
Yukon’s summers are long and sunny; its winters are long and dark. Plug-in solar is a summer-offset technology ideally suited to that seasonality. Remote communities relying on diesel generators would benefit even more from household-scale solar offsetting. But the Yukon Energy / ATCO Electric Yukon interconnection framework treats a 400W panel the same as a utility project — and that’s the only reason certified appliances can’t connect.
No new legislation is needed. The authority to make these changes already exists.
Direct Yukon Energy and ATCO Electric Yukon to create a plug-in generation category for certified systems under 1200W. Especially valuable in remote communities for summer diesel displacement.
Many Yukon 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 Yukon to lead the local plug-in solar advocacy effort. If you’re interested, get in touch.