THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn Jason Andriulaitis checks a connection under a new solar panel installation in Scugog, Ont. on April 27, 2016.

OTTAWA — Installing solar panels already makes sense for most homeowners in Saskatchewan and Ontario but the National Energy Board says the abundance of cheap hydroelectricity in Quebec and Manitoba means solar power may never make much economic sense in those provinces. In Canada, long, dark winters means it's unlikely solar will ever become the sole source of electricity anywhere. "The country cannot run solely on solar panels in the future," said NEB chief economist Jean-Denis Charlebois. Three provinces where solar is cheaper The NEB today is releasing a study of the costs of solar compared to current electricity prices. It has an online site where Canadians can plug in their city name and find out whether there is an economic case for solar for them now or in the future. There are 20,000 communities across every province and territory included in the study that looked at both capacity to produce solar based on hours of sunlight, as well as the cost. The main finding of the study is that no matter the amount of sunlight, the only places where installing and running solar panels is already cheaper than paying for power from the electricity grids are the places where power rates are already really high. That is in Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island and most places in Ontario. Earlier: A school in B.C. is saving thousands by switching to solar power. Story continues below.