Solar Club™ Hits 10,000 Member Milestone and Surpasses 100 MW of Clean Energy Capacity
Alberta’s clean energy transition is gaining real momentum.
The Solar Club™ has just reached two major milestones: Over 10,000 active Members and more than 100 megawatts (MW) of installed solar capacity across the province. That capacity is made possible through its growing Hummingbird Virtual Solar Community (VSC), which connects thousands of micro-generators into one of the largest distributed clean energy networks in the province.
The Government of Alberta’s Micro-generation Regulation, Alta Reg 27/2008, has been instrumental in promoting a greener grid and stimulating significant investments made by Alberta homeowners, businesses, and our farming community to add solar to their rooftops. This is truly a grassroots economic development success story, with hundreds of people employed in the solar industry. Over $750 million has been funded by Alberta homeowners to add solar energy to power their homes, and the surplus green energy is exported to the grid. Other provinces undoubtedly envy Alberta’s rooftop solar business model and our province’s Micro-generation Regulation.
Solar Club Members now represent more than 180,000 solar panels on homes, farms, and businesses, proving that grassroots energy generation is no longer a fringe idea. It’s becoming a defining feature of Alberta’s energy landscape.
A Community-Driven Approach to Clean Power
The Solar Club isn’t just a solar energy program; it’s a movement. All new Members are automatically enrolled in the Hummingbird VSC, a virtual platform that aggregates the output of solar systems across Alberta. This community now ranks third in solar capacity province-wide, behind only two major utility-scale solar farms (Travers at 465 MW and Big Sky Solar at 140 MW) — an impressive feat for a citizen-led initiative.
With innovations like the Solar Ready™ Program and the Pre-Solar Rate™, the Solar Club is also making it easier for more Albertans to justify the cost of a solar installation. These efforts help reduce the province’s reliance on government funding, while accelerating the shift to clean, distributed energy.
More Than Just Lower Bills
The Solar Club provides a simple, supportive entry point for Albertans new to solar. Members gain access to premium energy rates, a trusted network of local installers, and the tools they need to make informed energy choices.
Ever-evolving analytics are putting data directly into Members’ hands. Historical data trends can now be accessed via the My Account portal at any time. Through these changes, Solar Club Members have data at their fingertips and can control their exports like never before. Stay tuned for upcoming developments that vastly improve the accuracy and ability to backdate rate changes between the HI and LO Rates.
The Solar Club takes things a step further by helping turn solar exports into real income. It’s an ecosystem designed to grow with its Members.
And the benefits aren’t just individual. Since its launch in 2019, the Solar Club has returned $32.8 million to its Members, including $14.9 million in 2024 alone. Over $500,000 has also been donated to Alberta-based charities this year through the Club’s profit-sharing model, proving that clean energy can support both people and communities.
A Bold Future for Alberta Solar
What began with a commitment to environmental innovation back in 1998 has now become a major driver of change in Alberta. The Solar Club met its original target of exporting 100 million kWh of clean electricity to the provincial grid six years ahead of schedule. Now, it’s aiming even higher, setting a new goal of 250 million kWh by 2030.
With one in three micro-generation sites in Alberta now part of the Solar Club, the path to a net-zero future is no longer just a vision. It’s a reality being built by thousands of Albertans—one rooftop at a time.
