Solar, Off-Grid & Backup Power around Lethbridge and Pincher Creek

Guide

Solar, off-grid and backup power for an acreage

Cutting your power bill, living off the grid, or just keeping the well and the furnace running in an outage: here's a plain-language checklist, with the Alberta rules that apply.

1. Start with your power bill and your loads
2. Grid-tied solar: Alberta's micro-generation rules
3. Permits
4. Off-grid and battery backup
5. Standby generators

Start with your power bill and your loads

• Gather your last 12 months of electricity use. FortisAlberta sizes micro-generation systems from the last twelve months of consumption, or the projected load for a new or upgraded service.
• List the loads that matter most in an outage, such as the well pump, furnace or boiler, fridge, freezer and sump. That list drives the size of a battery or generator.
• Roof or ground mount? A ground-mount array on open land can face the sun better than a shaded or awkward roof. Ask the installer to compare both for your site.

Grid-tied solar: Alberta's micro-generation rules

• Alberta's Micro-generation Regulation lets you generate your own electricity from renewable or alternative sources. Small micro-generators (under 150 kW) are credited for the power they send to the grid on a monthly basis at their retail rate. Alberta: micro-generation
• You apply to your distribution (wire) company, follow the Alberta Utilities Commission's guidelines (consulting an electrical contractor, getting municipal permits and preparing a site plan) and sign an interconnection agreement. Alberta Utilities Commission: micro-generation
• FortisAlberta takes small micro-generation applications through its online PowerClerk app. The credit rate for the power you export is agreed with your electricity retailer. FortisAlberta: micro-generation

Permits

• Solar arrays, batteries and generators are electrical installations and need an electrical permit and inspection. A natural gas or propane standby generator also needs its fuel line installed under a gas permit. Alberta: permits and the safety codes system; where to get a permit.
• Check an electrician's Alberta certificate with the province's lookup. Alberta tradesperson lookup tool

Off-grid and battery backup

• Most grid-tied solar systems shut down during a power outage so they can't feed the lines. To keep power during an outage you need a battery system or a generator designed for backup. Ask your installer how theirs works.
• Off-grid systems have to carry every load through cloudy weeks and short winter days, so they're sized to your loads after dark and in winter, not to a yearly average. Pumps and compressors also draw a large surge when they start.
• FortisAlberta notes that battery backup provides a specific amount of power for a specific length of time. Ask how many hours your essential circuits will run.

Standby generators

• Standby generators provide backup power during an outage and aren't meant to send power onto the grid. Your electrician must be involved, size the generator to your load, and connect it with a CSA-approved utility transfer switch, either manual or automatic. FortisAlberta: standby generators
• Run and service the generator on the maker's schedule, keep the area around it clear of snow, and keep a battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm in the home. Never run a portable generator indoors or in a garage. FortisAlberta: safety, including home generator safety

General information only, not legal, financial or electrical advice. Programs and rules change: confirm with your wire company, the AUC, your county and a certified electrician. Sources checked October 7, 2026.