ST ANDREWS—In one fell swoop April , Premier Dalton McGuinty announced on Thurs., April 8 all of the renewable power generation projects in the province that have been granted permission to plug into the Green Energy Act’s Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program.
Although his April 8 media event at Quinn’s Inn in this South Stormont community mentioned three large 10-megawatt (MW) solar projects in the area — two in South Glengarry and one in Cornwall — in fact seven significant contracts were offered to green energy developers in the riding of Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry.
The list of contracts on offer also includes a pair of 10 MW solar farms for Ingleside, a 30 MW wind farm near Brinston and an integrated gas recovery/co-generation project at the Lefleche Landfill site at Moose Creek.
However, Kinu Energy’s proposed 10 MW solar farm outside Newington, on land leased from local farmer Bill Sanderson, was among many across the province that didn’t make the list. A proposed wind farm north of Winchester, pursued by ProWind Canada — the same company behind the successful Brinston project — also failed to make the cut.
Pro Wind is also involved in a project planned for the North Gower area that is meeting with determined opposition from local residents, some of whom are concerned over what they maintai n are health hazards posed by the giant turbines.
They took their fight to Queen’s Park April 28 and one of their number caused the spectators’ gallery in the Legislature to be cleared when she heckled the govrnment from the public gallery.
Calling it the largest green energy initiative of its kind in Canadian history, the premier announced the approval of 184 new large-scale contracts across the province. Sixty of them — with the potential to generate 900 megawatts — are in Eastern Ontario. The province also announced 510 medium-sized projects in March.
As part of the province’s Open Ontario Plan, the Green Energy FIT program provides a stable price for clean energy developers and providers.
The consumer will cover the cost of that stable pricing. When questioned on the cost of the program to hydro ratepayers, given the upcoming addition of the harmonized sales tax, the premier said the program itself would add about $5 to the average household electric bill. "People want to do the right thing," McGuinty said of the project, which will generate more than 2,500 MW — or enough electricity to power 600,000 homes.
The FIT program, the premier insisted, is about more than just the production of green energy. The program will, he said, "pump up Ontario’s manufacturing capacity." Putting the province in a position to manufacture and export solar panels and turbines to the Americans when they are ready to fully embrace the production of green energy. Ontario is still on track to close its coal-fired generating plants, he added.
Of the race between Ontario and British Columbia to be leaders in the green energy industry the premier remarked, "Bring it on. It’s a good race to be in."
Under the FIT program, contracted prices for green energy range from 10.4 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for large-scale biogas generation and 13.5 cents/kWh for on-shore wind power, to 44.3 cents/kWh for larger 10 MW ground-mounted solar projects.
Power from small rooftop and backyard ground-mounted solar panels generating 10kW or less will be purchased for 80.2 cents/kWh.
Consumers currently pay 5.8 cents/kWh monthly for the first 1,000 kilowatt hours and 6.7 cents/kWh thereafter.
It could be a long time coming for new green energy producers looking to put electricity into the grid. John Brace, head of Northland Power, one of three green energy providers attending the St. Andrews announcement encouraged the provincial government continue work and upgrades to the power transmission system to allow for future development.
Jane Almeida, government spokesperson told The AgriNews that reviews will continue every six months and projects that did not receive contract offers last April 8 can seek a review of their proposal, as more connection capacity is available or approved.
However, Brace told The Record that it was his understanding that the grid was now at connection capacity for alternative energy sources and it would be several years before upgrades to the grid are undertaken and complete. "This is it," he said, of the larger generating projects. The Feed-in Tariff program also includes a micro-Fit component designed to encourage homeowners and businesses to generate renewable energy projects of 10 kW or less.
Bob Roth, Vice President and General Manager of Saturn Power agreed for the most part. His company learned last week that they and their partners SunEdison and Canadian Solar were offered three contracts, two at Ingleside and one in Almonte.
There may be some connection capacity yet to be approved in the Pembroke and Upper Ottawa Valley, he said. Largely farmer owned, Saturn Power of New Hamburg, Ontario submitted nine applications in all to the FIT program.
Roth estimates the project cost for the two adjoining solar farms at Ingleside to be $45 million to $50 million each. As well as short-term construction jobs, which could begin in early 2011, he expects the solar facilities to create about half a dozen permanent positions.
News
May, 2010
Vol. 34, No. 5
NEWS
