West Kelowna is BC Hydro territory: up to $5,000 back on solar, up to $5,000 on a battery. How the rebate works

Aerial view of a winery building with solar panels across its roof among vineyard rows above Okanagan Lake

For business, winery & farm

Commercial & Winery Solar in West Kelowna, BC

Winery buildings on the Boucherie and Lakeview benches, orchard sheds and the commercial roofs along Highway 97 are some of the best solar sites in the valley. Most are still bare.

Solar for Westside Wineries, Orchards and Businesses

A commercial power bill has two parts: the energy you use and, on larger accounts, a demand charge set by your highest draw. For a lot of Westside operations that peak comes on a hot July afternoon, with the cooling, the tasting room and the crush pad all running at once. That is exactly when a south- or west-facing array produces the most.

The wine trail around Mount Boucherie and up through Lakeview Heights, the orchards toward Glenrosa and Trepanier, and the light-industrial and retail roofs along Highway 97 all have the same useful features: wide roofs or spare ground, and heavy daytime load.

Summer outages cost a tasting room real money, so many of our commercial designs include battery backup for point-of-sale, refrigeration and cooling.

BC Hydro commercial and multi-unit customers can claim up to $10,000 from the solar rebate. Under the 2026 self-generation rate, exports are credited at 10¢/kWh each billing cycle, and a business that uses most of its own daytime production gets the best return.

Call 250-250-2525 with a recent BC Hydro bill and we can usually give you a rough system size and payback over the phone.

Orchard packing shed with a solar array along its south-facing roof on the Westside
The shed is often the better site. Long, plain outbuilding roofs face the right way more often than the house does.

What’s included

What a Commercial Project Includes

Load and demand analysis

We look at when you use power, not just how much. Trimming a July-afternoon peak can be worth more than cutting total kilowatt-hours, and that changes how the array is sized and oriented.

Roof or ground-mount design

Older barns and packing sheds weren’t built for extra load. On vineyard and orchard land, a ground-mount at the end of the rows is often cheaper to maintain and produces more.

Structural engineering

Before anything goes on a commercial roof, we confirm it can take the added dead load plus snow load, with engineer sign-off where required.

Three-phase electrical and interconnection

Three-phase work by licensed electricians, permits pulled, and the system commissioned to BC Hydro’s interconnection requirements.

Rebate and self-generation paperwork

The BC Hydro commercial rebate, the self-generation application (accepted before we build), and utility coordination on larger systems.

Backup for critical loads

Optional battery storage for refrigeration, point-of-sale, cooling and pumps, so an outage in August doesn’t shut the doors.

Pricing

Commercial Solar Costs

System sizeSuitsInstalled cost
20 kWTasting room, shop, small office$44,000 – $58,000
50 kWWinery production building, packing shed$105,000 – $140,000
100 kW+Large agricultural or industrial sitefrom $200,000

Before the BC Hydro commercial rebate of up to $10,000. Price per watt falls as systems grow, but structure, electrical service and mounting vary more between commercial sites than between houses. Every commercial price follows a site assessment.

Commercial systems usually pay back faster than residential ones: more of the power is used on site, demand charges come down, and pricing improves at scale. Ask your accountant how capital cost allowance applies, alongside our numbers.

Get a Free Estimate BC Hydro rebate guide

Why us

Why Businesses Work With Us

Demand modelled

Many proposals leave demand charges out. For a lot of commercial accounts, that is where much of the saving is.

Wineries and farms are routine

Production buildings, barns, packing sheds and irrigation pumps, with an honest call on when the ground beats the roof.

Backup where it matters

Designs that keep refrigeration and sales running through the Westside’s summer outages.

One point of contact

From the first bill review to commissioning you deal with one person, not a string of subcontractors.

Daytime Load Is the Advantage

A winery, packing shed or shop uses most of its power in daylight, when panels produce. Under BC Hydro’s 2026 self-generation rate, every kWh used on site is worth more than one exported at 10¢, so commercial systems with steady daytime load get the best return of anyone.

We model your load against the output profile so the system is sized for what you will actually use.

A July day: solar output compared with household use, and what each part is worth under BC Hydro's 2026 rate Solar output from a 6 kilowatt system rises from about 6am to a peak of 4.6 kilowatts at 1pm and falls to zero by 8pm. Household use is low through the day and peaks around 2.5 kilowatts at 6pm. The dark area, solar used at home, saves 11.87 to 14.08 cents per kilowatt-hour. The hatched area, surplus exported midday, is credited at 10 cents. In the evening the home buys power from the grid; a battery can shift midday surplus into those hours. 012345 12am6amnoon6pm11pm kW, clear July day, 6 kW system Used at home: saves 11.87–14.08¢ Exported: 10¢ Home use evening: bought battery can cover
Businesses use power when panels make it. The closer your daytime load follows the solar curve, the less you export at 10¢ and the faster the system pays back.

Process

How a Commercial Project Runs

Commercial timelines depend mostly on structural review and BC Hydro approval. You get a realistic schedule with the quote.

  1. Bill and load review

    Twelve months of use and demand data, often enough for a first estimate of size.

  2. Site and structure

    Roof, electrical room, three-phase service and available ground.

  3. Design and payback model

    System size, output, demand impact, rebate and payback, in writing.

  4. Permits, build, commissioning

    BC Hydro coordination, installation, inspection and handover.

Find out what solar would do to your BC Hydro bill.

A free estimate starts with a short phone call. No pressure, no obligation, and a straight answer either way.

250-250-2525

Get a Free Estimate

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