No More Race to the Bottom: Building Alberta’s Solar Future the Right Way
Alberta is one of the best places in Canada for solar energy. We have abundant sunshine, a forward-looking culture, and homeowners and businesses who want to invest in smarter, cleaner energy. But alongside these opportunities, there’s also a huge historical problem: the “race to the bottom” born from Albertas “Boom & Bust” based construction economy and looser enforcement standards than other more strict jurisdictions.
In the solar and construction industries, contractors are often incentivized—or even pushed—by customers, the market, regulators and bad actors in the industry to compete almost entirely on price. At first, this sounds like a win for buyers: more competition should mean better deals, right? Unfortunately, when price becomes the main deciding factor, the reality is very different. Corners get cut, quality suffers, and the customer ends up paying more in the long run through rework, repairs, or total system failure.
At SolarNinjas, we’ve seen this story unfold too many times, it’s something that drove us from big industry to start a values based company over a decade ago. That’s why we say: it’s time to arrest the race to the bottom. And the only way to do that is together—with customers who understand that quality doesn’t cost, it pays.
What Does the “Race to the Bottom” Look Like in Solar?
When contractors are pressured to submit the lowest possible bid (or manipulate customers into thinking a lower price range is realistic), they start cutting from the areas customers can’t see—or won’t notice until it’s too late. In Alberta’s solar industry, this shows up in four main ways:
1. Structural and Building Envelope Risks
Your roof is your first line of defense against Alberta’s harsh climate. Bargain contractors often use cheap racking systems, drill too few or too many holes, or skip proper sealing. Cheating on anchor counts or spaces and using cheap import rack systems is common. These shortcuts compromise the building envelope resulting in shorter project life risking water infiltration, mold, rot, and even structural damage. Wind, vibration, and other pressures are not managed effectively leading to hardware loosening or failing. By the time the problem shows up—often years later—the original contractor is long gone, and the repair costs fall squarely on the homeowner. Hundreds to thousands of dollars are cut invisibly from projects on this point alone, and only ROBUST accountability measures alongside honest pay & rewards for workers based on excellence (not speed) can mitigate it.
2. Electrical Risks
Solar is an electrical system first and foremost. Cutting corners here is not only irresponsible but dangerous and can be very hard to spot with a majority of the work invisible after completion. Undersized conductors, poor crimps, overloaded breakers, hanging wires that rub on the roof, cheap/improper connectors, skipped code requirements and even blatantly illegal installation practices using the wrong products create fire hazards and operational inefficiencies. In Alberta, where extreme cold, heat, and wind test every system, these flaws are magnified. What looks like a working system on day one may be a liability by years down the line. Inspections authorities do not look at many of these areas as they do not go on the roof and are often not educated about solar. Where photos are demanded by policy, often they are cheated or not provided at all by contractors. We use a detailed system of photo and video accountability and documentation provided to the client and inspections authorities to combat this industry practice. Certified workers are required who are trained to do it right because they understand it… not labourers who are only trained to do what they need to do as quickly as possible. Some contractors are well known inside the industry for using illegal or greymarket subcontracted install teams, uncertified labour, and the cheapest possible products. Electrical installation can be artwork, but only if you train craftsmen.
3. System Performance and Future-Proofing
Solar arrays are long-term assets. A system designed solely to win the lowest bid may be undersized, poorly oriented, wired with undersized wire or conduits, be installed without shading/performance analysis or use the wrong solar technology entirely for the clients site. These systems produce less energy than promised and often can’t be expanded later for EV chargers, batteries, or heat pumps. Customers end up stuck with a system that delivers a fraction of its potential—and requires costly rework to meet their future needs. 15 years in solar makes SolarNinjas just about the most experienced in Alberta and we don’t cheat with rules of thumb that over promise and under deliver. Dirt, Dust, Pollen, Snow, Sun Angle, Equipment Matching & Balancing, localized data geolocated to the property itself all help us to generate realistic solar performance models. Understanding the customer and educating as deeply as possible helps us to ensure that infrastructure is either built or planned right,so that in 5, 10 or even 20 years someone can say “wow, lucky you hired who you did!” and never “why didn’t they do this small thing which would save me thousands now???”. Customer choices to include or exclude additional capability with their system are made openly and based on real knowledge.
4. Ethical and Moral Concerns
The race to the bottom isn’t just technical; it’s moral. Some companies rely on untrained or undocumented labour, source the cheapest possible components with poor track records, or use marketing gimmicks that exaggerate savings and mislead customers. Supporting this cycle penalizes responsible tradespeople while rewarding those who compromise safety, legality, and honesty. Marketing based operations who need to change their company name every few years, or fly by night contractors who get in to do a bunch of jobs poorly before learning how difficult it can be are rewarded. Workers get trained to accept trash standards without feeling responsible for the customers they serve. Customers set these practices with their dollars and bear the risks in the end but how can they know what category they’re shopping in when there’s so much smoke and nonsense out there? Who you hire is the most important decision, beyond all the other choices a customer is faced with. It’s no longer possible to think “all companies are basically legitimate, really poor work or practices are likely to be very rare”. While not endemic, they are certainly the norm more often than insiders would be comfortable admitting. Buy reality, not hype.
The fix for this is rewarding the companies who spend time, educate, know things, care about you genuinely, and try to look out for your best interests that you never even knew about yet so that you’re truly partnered and not just buying a product.
Remember when racing to the bottom, the finish line is always moving further down. Businesses make money, but customers pay in the end. We’re all Albertan, our work is our legacy. Let’s make it a great one.
Why Doing It Right Isn’t as Expensive as You Think
Here’s the truth that gets lost in the noise: it doesn’t cost much more to do things right. (Especially when more people are doing it).
Using high-quality racking, taking time to seal penetrations properly, sizing conductors to code & beyond, and designing for future needs adds only a small percentage to the upfront cost when its normalized. But the payoff is enormous:
Fewer maintenance calls
No costly roof or electrical repairs
Consistent energy production
A system that adapts as your lifestyle evolves
Reduced prices on the right materials for all contractors bringing costs down for consumers, when we aren’t the only ones buying the best goods.
Improved future home resale value
By year five or so, many bargain systems are already costing their owners money—through service calls, inverter replacements, or performance gaps & expensive re-engineering for expansion. By year ten, they may need complete redesigns. In contrast, a properly engineered and installed system keeps working reliably, protecting your home and your investment for decades.
The irony is that when almost no one does it right, quality starts to look like the “expensive” option. But when you zoom out and consider total cost of ownership, quality is the cheapest path forward.
Remember you’re not buying a hot tub or a TV, this is a complex renovation and should be treated with that level of respect during the shopping & research stage.
How SolarNinjas Helps Stop the Race to the Bottom
SolarNinjas was founded on the belief that Albertans deserve better. We’re electricians and builders with 15 years of continuous solar experience. We’ve helped shape Alberta’s solar standards, trained inspectors & engineering chiefs, and worked directly with municipalities raise awareness.
Codes & Manufacturers Installation Guidelines are great minimum standards, they should never be a target to aim for.
Here’s how we stand apart:
Protecting Your Structure: We use proven racking systems (Made in CANADA wherever possible), use highest engineering standards for support, we seal every penetration, and respect your roof as if it were our own. We prove it with extensive photo documentation showing each stage of construction – *Not Just at the End*
Exceeding Electrical Standards: As electricians first, we design and install wiring, breakers, and connections that meet—and exceed—code. We teach the authorities how code works in our industry, it evolves and we need to fight for it regularly.
Maximizing Performance: Our systems are modeled carefully for your site, orientation, soiling and shading. We don’t guess; we calculate. We make it make sense with the worse case scenarios whenever possible then let you bask in the sunshine.
Future-Proofing: We design with tomorrow in mind, ensuring your solar can expand when you need to accommodate EVs, Hot Tubs, heating or other demand increases without having to rebuild and rewire the whole job.
Standing for What’s Right: We reject unethical practices like illegal labour, misleading marketing, or cut-rate imports that jeopardize safety and reliability. Plain spoken, honest, earnest and frustrated as we work towards raising standards in a “race to the bottom” industry culture.
- Ethical Pricing: Our system pricing is based on a cost matrix with real steps *that we can show you*. System size, system complexity/difficulty based on 3 to 6 factors, and electrical needs broken out. You can understand why your price is exactly what it is, there is no salesman incentive to get as much as he can from you. We bundle prices for savings based on your needs & choices. If we’re wrong, we change it. If you agree, someone cheaper would represent an unacceptable amount of risk in many cases.
When you work with SolarNinjas, you’re not just buying solar panels. You’re investing in peace of mind, long-term savings, and the confidence of knowing it’s done right with integrity.
The Role of Clients in Ending the Race to the Bottom
Stopping this cycle takes more than one company. It requires homeowners and businesses to recognize the difference between “cheap” and “smart.” Every time a customer chooses quality over shortcuts, they help raise the standard for the entire industry.
When you partner with SolarNinjas, you’re not just getting a reliable solar system—you’re helping set a new benchmark for Alberta’s solar future. You’re saying “no” to the race to the bottom and “yes” to durable, safe, and ethical energy solutions.
SolarNinjas shares this cost with you. These best practices would be cheaper if more companies used them but because we know from experience servicing and repairing that they don’t, we blend the costs into your price sharing it on our end as well as yours. Rewarding a good company results in the cost of doing everything “beyond properly” coming down for everyone. We’re your partner in this, and together we make real improvements to the industry as a whole.
Dont buy based on buzzwords. “Workmanship” warranties in electrical are mostly smoke and are worthless when the company doesn’t exist down the road. Risk vs Reward calculations happen quarterly in big business.
Final Word: No More Race to the Bottom
Alberta’s solar future doesn’t need to be built on shortcuts. It can—and should—be built on durability, safety, and honesty.
The cheapest quote is rarely the best value. The right investment with the right partner pays back every year in reliable performance, lower maintenance, and peace of mind.
At SolarNinjas, we’re proud to stand with clients who share this vision. Together, we can change the culture of solar in Alberta and prove that doing it right isn’t the expensive option—it’s the smart one.
It’s time to say: No more race to the bottom.
