Letter to the editor

Thousands of Ontario families, farmers and community groups are taking part in Ontario's MicroFIT program ­ which allows small scale renewable energy projects to provide power to Ontario's energy grid. Over 20,000 Ontarians have submitted applications, wanting to participate in the program. So far over 3,700 projects have been connected to the grid and another 2,500 project approvals are ready to go.

Due to the success of the MicroFIT program, the number of applications we have received is currently outpacing needed upgrades to the system in some areas. This is an issue we first identified in our Long Term Energy Plan and we have taken a number of steps to address it. We are working diligently to make the needed upgrades in order to connect those projects as quickly as possible.

Last week we communicated with applicants to address the issue with them,let them know where they stood, and more importantly, what we are doing to find a solution for them. In order to properly address the issue and resolve it in a timely manner, we are asking applicants who have not already done so to contact their Local Distribution Company to determine where they intend to connect their project.

This information will be crucial to being able to make the necessary upgrades and connect as many people as quickly as possible. We also made a change to the MicroFIT program to ensure that all applicants are screened upfront to determine whether they can connect right away, or if they would need to wait.

Currently, about five per cent of applicants are facing delays in
connecting their MicroFIT projects. To resolve these issues, I have made it a priority for Hydro One to target areas of greatest need for upgrades to our transmission and distribution system, to enable projects to connect as soon as possible. In addition, we are offering to extend the conditional offers to MicroFIT applicants for one year for those who are not able to connect right away. This will provide them with more flexibility with their project as we make the necessary upgrades.

Ideally, we'd be working with a modern, 21st century system but
unfortunately for too long, necessary upgrades were not done and the
previous government did not make the investments that our system truly needed. We have made great strides in upgrading our system ­ over 5000 KM of transmission and distribution lines have been restored over the last several years. But more work needs to be done.

I want to assure your readers that we will be making the necessary
investments to address the challenges we are experiencing today, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the MicroFIT program and continue to further Ontario's place as a leader in the clean energy revolution. While the Opposition wants to kill these programs, we're determined to make them work for Ontario families and farmers.

Brad Duguid
Minister of Energy