To download the brochure for the event click here.

At a workshop at York University November 19, 2009, two leading expert practitioners described the Spanish experience, and answered questions on how Ontario could learn from Spain as it develops a smart grid stratety to intergrate more renewable power into the grid through the Green Energy Act.

HUGO LUCAS PORTA from the Spanish Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving  provided a history of Spain’s feed-in tariff experience and described the policies that Spain will use to meet its Europeam Union target of 20% renewable energy by 2020.

MIGUEL DE LA TORRE RODRIGUEZ, Director of Operations, RED ELÉCTRICA de España, S.A. described how Spain operates its renewable power control centres, and through accurate forcasting has been able to intergrate over 50% wind and solar power into the grid.

Download Hugo Lucas Porta’s presentation here.

Download Miguel de la Torre Rodriguez’s presentation here.

“Feed-in tariffs are supposed to be based on the cost of the electricity produced plus a reasonable return for the producer” said David Coon, Executive Director of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. “The proposed price is too low to enable communities to develop renewable energy projects. They just won’t be able to afford it.” In Ontario, wind power projects are paid between 13 cents and 19 cents/kWh and solar beteween 40 cents and 80 cents /kWh. These prices have resulted in contracts for 2500 MW of new renewable power projects in less that a year.

The new Community Energy Policy also does not guarantee access to the grid as a true feed-in tariff program should. The initial phase of the will consist of 75 MW, of which 50 MW will be assigned to community-owned projects and the other 25 MW to First Nations projects. To qualify under the policy, projects must not be larger than 15 MW in capacity. They must be majority-owned by First Nations, municipalities, co-operatives, not-for-profit organizations or institutions. New Brunswick-based private corporations and investors may be minority partners.

Eleven workshops will be held between March 8 and 24 to educate interested communities and partners about the policy. This could provide an opportunity for participants to advocate a more effective Feed-in Tariff Program. For details on the workshops see the Community Energy Policy news release.

On July 28, 2009, Nova Scotia Energy Minister Frank Corbett announced aggressive new targets for renewable electricity. By 2015, 25 per cent of Nova Scotia’s electricity will be supplied by renewable energy. To help figure out how best to reach the targets, the province asked David Wheeler of Dalhousie University to consult with interested parties and report back to government.

Dr. Wheeler’s report “A New Renewable Energy Strategy for Nova Scotia”, was tabled on December 31, 2009. It makes three key recommendations:
1. Power utilities and independent power producers be responsible for the delivery of the bulk of the target, overseen by a new renewable energy procurement body and system operator;
2. Community enterprises receive a guaranteed price for electricity through a feed-in tariff with an initial goal of 100MW capacity; and
3. Ordinary citizens and small and medium sized enterprises be encouraged to become engaged in renewable energy generation and use.

The Report includes 25 more detailed recommendations. One urges the Premier of Nova Scotia to make an early statement of intent to establish Feed In Tariffs covering - at a minimum Wind, Biomass, and Combined Heat and Power. This would declare a confidence building direction for renewable energy in the province.

Cheryl Ratchford from CanREA member Ecology Action Centre served on the Project Advisory Steering Committee.

The first round of contracts awarded under Ontario’s FIT and MicroFIT programs will produce 2500 megawatts (MW) of electricity and will generate in excess of $5 billion in investments in manufacturing, design, construction and installation and create thousands of new green jobs. The contracts include 700 rooftop solar PV systems under the MicroFIT program.

Ontario’s feed-in tariffs provide guaranteed access to the grid for renewable energy power sources and provide a premium price sufficient for these sources to provide an adequate return for investors.

To read an update on the FIT and MicroFIT program lauch download the Ontario Power Authority’s Feed-in Tariff Backgrounder

For more information on new MicroFIT projects less than 10 kW, download Ontarians get green light for 700 solar rooftop projects

For further information please contact Dr. Jose Etcheverry at mobile    1.416.843.2484    and/or via email at rejose @ yorku.ca.

Keep up to date on COP 15 results and international renewable energy activities through the following sites: 

Climate Action Network Canada:

http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/

Danish Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy:

http://www.folkecenter.net/gb/news/world/COP_15/

International Renewable Energy Agency:

http://www.irena.org/

International Feed-in Cooperation:

http://www.feed-in-cooperation.org/

“Our goal was to capture the momentum of Ontario’s new Green Energy Act, and work towards 100 per cent sustainable energy,” said Kristopher Stevens, executive director of OSEA. “The new International working group with WWEA will work to document and share best practices in community power while strengthening the world wide network of local sustainable energy leaders.’

Former Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, George Smitherman, delivered the keynote speech and renowned environmentalist, Dr. David Suzuki, attended as Honourary Chair. For highlights from the conference visit http://www.cpconference.ca/

Toronto, September 24 2009

Today the Ontario government officially launched its Feed-in Tariff Program and it is the most comprehensive of its kind in the entire continent of the Americas. Under the Green Energy Act, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) will run two programs - the FIT Program for large renewable power generators and the MicroFIT Program for systems less than 10 kW. For a summary of the program download OPA’s fit-program-overview-nov1909

More details may be found on the OPA FIT web site: http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/fit/

For background on the FIT Programs and the Green Energy Act visit: http://www.allianceforrenewableenergy.org/canada-reps.html

“This exciting announcement will position Ontario as the most advanced renewable energy jurisdiction in North America” stated Dr. Jose Etcheverry President of the Canadian Renewable Energy Alliance.

In addition, Ontario’s Energy Minister, Hon. George Smitherman, earlier this week announced new transmission investment for grid expansions to accommodate renewable energy (RE) development, for details please read the article:

Ontario commits $2.3 billion over three years to grid upgrades, expansion

Last evening Minister Smitherman also announced two new funds that aim at supporting community power projects (to facilitate project feasibility, environmental and engineering studies), and to support municipalities so they can recoup costs associated with infrastructure improvements as a result of RE projects (road expansions, drainage, etc.).

“Ontario is quickly emerging as a global leader in renewable energy that rivals the renewable energy superpowers in Europe and elsewhere” said Dr. Hermann Scheer, President of EUROSOLAR; General Chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy and Member of the German Bundestag (Federal Parliament). “The success of feed-in tariff programs in many European countries has shown they are the right choice for regions serious about renewable energy. Ontario has chosen wisely and will surely reap the rewards.”

For further information contact

Dr. Jose Etcheverry

Click to Email Dr. Etcheverry

On May 14, 2009 the Government of Ontario passed Bill 150: the Green Energy and Employment Act, the first legislation in North America to give priority grid access to renewable sources of power and set fixed “feed-in tariff” premium rates for these power sources under 20 year contracts.  The Act allows any renewable power system, from the smallest household solar system to large off shore wind farms in the Great Lakes, to connect to the grid and make a reasonable return on investment. The Act also includes measures to accelerate the adoption of energy conservation measures, including the labelling of homes and buildings with their energy consumption.

To download a copy of the Act click here. For an analysis of Bill 150 by the Green Energy Act Alliance visit http://www.greenenergyact.ca.  

The introduction of feed-in tariffs and guranteed access for renewable power sources represents a complete change in the way power will be provided to Ontarians in the 21st century. Up until now, renewable power sources had to be integrated into an exsting grid. From now on, a new grid will be bulit around these renewable power sources.

The feed-in tariffs that would be paid for each renewable energy source by Ontario Power Authority (OPA) were finalized on May 12:  13.5 - 19.0 cents / kWh for wind, 44.3 - 80.2 cents / kWh for solar, 12.9 - 13.4 cents /kWh for hydro, and 10.3 - 14.7 cents / kWh for biogas and biomass. These rates are comparable to those paid in Europe where they have created thousands of jobs and attracted the lions share of global private investment in renewable power over the last few years. The feed in tariff program will be launched in September 2009. For more details see http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/FIT/  

“Ontario’s feed-in tariffs announcement is a huge step forward that will put Ontario at the forefront of global renewable energy markets.” says Jose Echeverry, CanREA President. “These tariffs will set a crucial policy precedent in North America for job creation, energy security, and greenhouse gas reduction.”

For a  comparison of the proposed individual tariffs with the approach used in Europe, read Paul Gipe’s commentary “Ontario Proposes Precedent - Setting Renewable Tariffs: World Class Tariffs for North America”

For more general information about feed-in tariffs see the Fact Sheet and Primer Feeding the Grid Renewably. To read about where feed-in tariffs are being used or considered around the world vist http://www.allianceforrenewableenergy.org or http://www.wind-works.org.

CanREA idenfiied three key energy issues:
 - Energy efficiency must be the underlying foundation of any energy policy
 - Renewable energy is the most plentiful energy resource and potentially could meet all energy needs sooner and cheaper than alternatives such as clean coal or advanced nuclear.
- Renewable energy coupled with energy efficiency is the most universal solution to global warming. 
 
In terms of current energy policy in Canada, CanREA noted that the new Green Energy Act will make Ontario the first jurisdiction in North America to give renewable power priority access and use the highly successful feed-in tariff procurement policies used in Europe. British Columbia, Quebec and New Brunswick are leaders in energy efficiency. Collectively, all provinces have agreed to a 20% improvement in energy efficiency by 2020.  On the other hand, the Government of Canada places much more emphasis on technologies such as carbon capture and storage and nuclear power than on renewable energy and energy efficiency. This is true with respect to climate change and economic development.

CanREA recommended the following actions by the Government of Canada to accelarate the transition to renewable energy:

International Cooperation:
 Canada should join IRENA and play a major role in helping developing countries adopt renewable energy
 Work closely with the United States on making energy efficiency and renewable energy the cornerstone of a new green economy and regional climate change policy under the Clean Energy Dialogue

Domestic Leadership by the federal government:
 Recognize renewable energy development as a national priority – promoting public awareness on how renewable sources can meet Canada’s heat, transport, and power needs (including base load and peak power)
 Set national renewable energy and energy efficiency targets for all sectors and fuels, and entrench many of the programs and regulations listed below into a national Green Energy Act
 Set up a Smart Energy Fund to provide energy efficiency, green building, and renewable energy services and financing to homeowners, businesses, industrial firms, and public entities.
 Establish a National Green Economy Training Program to promote good jobs in energy efficiency and renewable energy

Renewable Power
 Build on Ontario’s leadership by supporting adoption of feed-in tariffs in all Provinces and harmonize a replenished EcoEnergy for renewable power with feed-in tariffs programs.
 Establish a National Renewable Energy Centre and a high-level national task force on renewable power grid integration and strategic transmission links
 Implement a national program to develop, commercialize, and deploy technologies and measures such as power storage that deliver base load power from variable renewable power sources.

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Heat
 Set up a well resourced national secretariat to support the Council of Energy Ministers (CEM) collaborative process,
 Quickly respond to recommendations on new programs and regulations including housing and building retrofit, low income housing, and truck efficiency
 Support new innovative financing and regulatory approaches to energy efficiency that ensure all economic efficiency potential is realized
 Expand the scope of the CEM collaboration to include renewable heating technologies like solar heating.

Support sustainable transportation:
 Establish a national rail network authority to develop comprehensive and effective national high speed passenger and freight rail systems
 Provide annual major targeted transfers (investments) to the Provinces and Territories to support the rapid construction of mass transit and smart growth
 Establish market-based criteria for the sustainable use of biomass resources for the production of ethanol and biodiesel from forest and agricultural materials.