Solar panels in Redwater — an energy town, now on the roof.
Redwater has run on energy since 1948. The smartest version of that today is a solar array tied into FortisAlberta's grid. We're an Edmonton crew, about 50 minutes south, and we've been wiring rooftops across Sturgeon County since 2018.
The reef under the prairie
Imperial Oil hit a Devonian reef formation just outside Redwater — shallower than Leduc, and a big producer. A farming hamlet of about 160 people became an oil town almost overnight. The wealth came out of the ground.
The energy is on the roof
Redwater still sits in Canada's largest hydrocarbon-processing region, with the Sturgeon Refinery and the petrochemical plants nearby. For a homeowner, the modern version of an energy asset is simpler: panels that turn 2,300 hours of sun into power you don't have to buy.
What solar actually costs in Redwater
No mystery pricing. A typical Redwater home runs a 7–8 kW system, and at our cash rate that lands between roughly $19,600 and $22,400 before any incentives. Smaller systems cost more per watt because the fixed costs — permits, scaffolding, a day of crew time — spread over fewer panels.
The hardware is LONGi 500W panels paired with APsystems DS3 microinverters — panel-level production, so one shaded module won't pull the others down. Critter guard rings the array on every install, and our lifetime leak-proof roof guarantee backs the work. Alberta's cold helps here: panels run more efficiently in low temperatures, and our clear winter days produce real power. How solar performs through an Alberta winter →
Three honest paths to cover it
Cash
Best price — the $2.80/W rate and roughly a 10% discount versus financed. Fastest payback, no interest.
$0 down, Financeit
Spread it over monthly payments with nothing up front. A modest markup covers the lender; many homeowners aim for payments near their old power bill.
Mortgage roll-in
Fold the system into a refinance or HELOC at mortgage rates — this also qualifies for the $2.80/W cash pricing.
Acreage owners, one extra option: if your property is in Sturgeon County (rather than inside the Town of Redwater), the County runs a residential Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) that lets you finance up to $50,000 of upgrades through your property taxes. It's worth checking eligibility before you decide how to pay. We'll lay out every path at the assessment. See financing options →
Who runs your wires, and how credits work
Despite Redwater's location northeast of the city, the poles, wires, and meter belong to FortisAlberta — not ATCO or EPCOR. We file the micro-generation application and arrange the bi-directional meter, then pull the electrical permit. You don't chase paperwork.
Alberta is deregulated. The default retail rate is the Rate of Last Resort, which replaced the old RRO on January 1, 2025. You can stay on it or pick any competitive retailer — net metering works either way.
Under Alberta's Micro-Generation Regulation, the surplus your panels export in summer earns credits at the retail rate. Those credits carry into the short, dark winter days — the mechanism behind that ~$0 annual target. How net metering works in Alberta →
Town roofs, county acreages, and big shops
Redwater is a town of about 2,000 on the banks of the Redwater River, 60–64 km northeast of our Edmonton shop. We work the whole spread: the established town core, the newer streets on the edges, and the Sturgeon County acreages and farms that ring the community.
In-town homes
Standard single-family roofs across the core and newer subdivisions. Most are straightforward one-day rooftop installs with clean southern exposure.
County acreages
Open lots make excellent ground-mount candidates — no roof constraints, ideal tilt and aim, and room to size up for a heat pump or future EV.
Shops & outbuildings
Heated shops, welders, and grain handling pull serious power. A high-draw outbuilding is often where solar pays back fastest.
Because we're a short run up Highway 28, there's no travel surcharge for Redwater — same crew, same pricing as in the city. Estimate your system size →
Backup that matters on a rural feeder
Battery backup
Rural feeders around Redwater can go down in a storm, and a grid-tied solar array shuts off in an outage for safety. A battery changes that: it stores your daytime surplus and keeps the essentials running — furnace, fridge, well pump, internet — through a blackout, switching over in well under a second.
Size a battery →EV charging
A Level 2 charger on a solar home means you're driving on sunlight, not the grid. We size the circuit and load so your panel can handle the car alongside everything else — clean work, properly permitted.
EV charger packages →Verified Google reviews
We have had our solar panels up and running for about a week. Up to this point we would highly recommend Stellar Upgrades if you are considering solar panels. Their whole team have been amazing and professional.
The quality was good at a reasonable price. My house looks more advanced, and it really makes a difference in appearance.
I highly recommend Stellar Upgrades to anyone considering going solar.
Free assessment for Redwater
15 minutes. No obligation. If solar doesn't make sense here, we'll say so.
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Solar in Redwater, answered
Check the sources yourself
We'd rather you verify than take our word for it. These are the primary references for solar, utilities, and rates in and around Redwater.
An energy town deserves a real energy plan.
Tell us your address and roughly what you pay for power. We'll run the FortisAlberta numbers and show you the honest payback — and if solar doesn't pencil out for your place, we'll say so.