Trade Playbook

Solar PV Installation

Name: AEC Stack
Author: AEC Stack

Compulsory trade, certification required

Solar PV businesses design and install rooftop and ground-mount systems — riding net-metering, rising power prices, and battery storage. It is an electrical contracting business with an extra layer nobody else has: utility interconnection.

Where are you right now?

Learn it. Earn it. Own it. Pick the door that matches where you are.

Getting inBecome a solar installerHow people actually enter this trade: sponsors, registration, hours, and school.Open Getting certifiedFinish your ticketAlready an apprentice? The Last Mile guide: closing out hours, booking the exam, exam day.Open Comparing optionsWhat solar installers makePay by stage, the lanes that change the number, and the difference between a wage and a business rate.Open Going out on your ownStart a solar installation businessThe step-by-step from qualified tradesperson to incorporated, insured, bid-ready owner.Open Just lookingCommon questionsLicences, costs, timelines: the questions everyone asks, answered straight.Open

Solar PV Installation at a glance

Licence to do the work: Electrical work requires 309A + ECRA/ESA contractor; racking does not
Path in: Electrician route, or racking/installer route alongside a licensed partner
Regulated by: ESA (permits, connections) + utility (net metering)
Insurance baseline: $2M+ CGL — roof penetrations + Working at Heights
Union route: IBEW on utility-scale work

The licensing layer, explained

Solar electrical work runs through the standard gate — licensed electricians under an ECRA/ESA contractor licence, with ESA permits and inspection — plus the solar-specific layer: utility interconnection (net-metering applications with Hydro One or the local utility), structural/racking considerations on roofs, and Working at Heights. CSA-certified equipment and, increasingly, battery-storage rules round it out.

Certifications in this trade

309AElectrician (compulsory for the electrical work)

Insurance to expect

Roof work plus electrical plus the client's home: carry $2M+ CGL, confirm coverage for roof penetrations and water intrusion, and keep Working at Heights current.

Go to the source

The official pages that govern this trade. Bookmark these, they are the final word on requirements and fees.

Keep reading

309A Electrician 449A Roofer Incorporation CRA Registration WSIB & Provincial Trade Licensing Insurance Safety Compliance Operational Setup Bid Readiness

Ready to build a solar installation business?

AEC Stack handles incorporation, licensing, insurance, compliance, and operations, so you can focus on the work.

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