Virtual Net Metering Campaign

SolarShare is kickstarting a policy campaign ahead of the 2025 Ontario Election to push for Virtual Net Metering. We want to sell energy directly to members! We want our communities to own the production of energy and retain economic benefits locally! We are pushing the Ontario government to amend the Net Metering Regulation (O.Reg. 541/5) to allow co-operatives to establish virtual net metering facilities for all customers.

About Virtual Net Metering (VNM)
Virtual net metering allows a renewable energy project to be connected to the local distribution grid. The electricity generated by the project can then be sold to businesses and homes in the local distribution area, administered through the existing local distribution billing system. This allows renewable energy co-operatives like SolarShare to sell energy directly to members, who already own, govern, and finance the production itself. Members would not only have a say in how energy is produced but also how much they pay for it.

History of VNM
Ontario established a successful net metering regulation in 2005, under which 38 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity from over 2,000 customer facilities were installed throughout the province. A proposed amendment to the Net Metering Regulation via O.Reg. 273/18, which would have allowed for pilot virtual net metering projects, was revoked in 2018. In September 2021, the Ontario government filed a net metering regulation Community Net Metering Projects, (O.Reg. 679/21). Under this regulation, all buildings participating in the net metering arrangement must be owned by the same entity that owns the renewable energy generation facility. As a result, this means that it will not be applied broadly in practice. In November 2023, the government proposed an amendment for larger (Class A) customers but it has not been implemented (despite a proposed May 2024 amendment date) and it does not cover smaller, residential customers that make up the majority of co-operative membership.

Why VNM?
Demand for electricity is projected to increase by 75% over the next 15 years as electric vehicles and other electric loads increase. This significant increase in demand requires rapid expansion and updates to our electricity infrastructure; virtual net metering will help to achieve that goal with economic and employment benefits for Ontarians.

Co-operatively owned virtual net metering projects are owned by local residents. They can be strategically located in communities across the province to provide electricity and ancillary services to the electrical grid where those services are needed. These projects contribute to local employment through the construction of these projects and their long-term operation. Finally, co-operatives like SolarShare have already raised tens of millions of dollars from the communities in which these projects are located. This provides citizens the opportunity to invest in their ‘own backyards’, and retains the economic benefits of investment in our electricity infrastructure within Ontario.

What can I do?
Sign our petition and send emails at this link here. As well, call your MPPs before the upcoming election to voice your concerns. You can find your electoral district using your postal code here and find your local candidates here. If campaign teams come knocking, please let them know that virtual net metering is important to you!