← All Insights
BC's Best Communities for Rooftop Solar Investment
BC Hydro's Net Metering program lets residential solar owners sell surplus electricity back to the grid. The economics are strongest where sunshine hours are highest — which in BC means the Interior, not the rainy coast. These communities rank highest on solar resource within British Columbia.
Sunshine hours as a solar indicator: This ranking uses annual sunshine hours as a solar suitability indicator. Precise photovoltaic yield (kWh per kW of installed capacity) varies by panel angle, orientation, local irradiance intensity, and shading — use our Solar Assessment Tool for address-specific estimates. The Okanagan leads BC not only in sunshine hours but also in solar economics: lower cloud cover and more direct summer irradiance mean panels perform better per hour of sunshine than on the coast. The solar conditions and sunshine rankings use the same base metric. What differentiates solar economics is electricity rate (BC Hydro's tiered structure), installation costs, and net metering policy — not just sunshine hours alone.
| # | Community | Sunshine hrs/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PentictonBC | 2,300 hrs/yr |
| 2 | Okanagan Mission / Kelowna SouthBC | 2,290 hrs/yr |
| 3 | Lake Country / Kelowna EastBC | 2,280 hrs/yr |
| 4 | West Kelowna South / WestbankBC | 2,270 hrs/yr |
| 5 | Kelowna — DowntownBC | 2,260 hrs/yr |
| 6 | Kelowna - SouthBC | 2,250 hrs/yr |
| 7 | Victoria - GonzalesBC | 2,210 hrs/yr |
| 8 | Saanich - Cordova BayBC | 2,210 hrs/yr |
| 9 | Kamloops - NorthBC | 2,210 hrs/yr |
| 10 | Kamloops - SouthBC | 2,210 hrs/yr |
| 11 | Kamloops - EastBC | 2,210 hrs/yr |
| 12 | Kamloops - WestBC | 2,210 hrs/yr |
| 13 | Victoria - FairfieldBC | 2,200 hrs/yr |
| 14 | Parksville / Qualicum BeachBC | 2,200 hrs/yr |
| 15 | Kelowna - NorthBC | 2,200 hrs/yr |
| 16 | Kelowna - CentralBC | 2,200 hrs/yr |
| 17 | Keremeos / South Okanagan RuralBC | 2,200 hrs/yr |
| 18 | Kamloops SouthBC | 2,200 hrs/yr |
| 19 | Victoria — DowntownBC | 2,193 hrs/yr |
| 20 | Victoria - Fort StreetBC | 2,193 hrs/yr |
Annual sunshine hours from ECCC Climate Normals 1991–2020. Solar output also depends on roof pitch, orientation, shading, and local microclimate. BC Hydro Net Metering program available for systems up to 100 kW. Consult a qualified solar installer for site-specific analysis. Source: ECCC open government licence.