by SUSAN MANN
Renewable energy leaders have given Ontario’s clean energy policies the thumbs up but say it’s now time for agricultural communities and farmers to take advantage of opportunities to produce electricity.
The province’s clean energy policies have gotten Ontario off to a promising start in the rapidly growing clean energy economy, it says in a press release accompanying the release of a report from organizations supporting clean energy initiatives. The report outlines rural Germany’s success in leading the development of clean energy and how Ontario has positioned itself to become a clean energy leader in North America. It was released Monday by email to various news organizations and posted on the website of Climate Action Network Canada.
Ontario government policies make it possible for farmers and community groups to participate in the electricity market as owners. But the agricultural community needs to seize current opportunities so it can be at the forefront of industries poised to define Canada’s energy future
The report, Harvesting Clean Energy on Ontario Farms, a Transatlantic Comparison, was produced by four organizations: the Heinrich Boell Foundation, a German organization working to promote cleaner energy; the Pembina Institute, a Canadian think tank on energy policy; the United Church of Canada; and Climate Action Network Canada.
Cherise Burda of the Pembina Institute, says Ontario is now at same point Germany was 20 years ago after officials there introduced a green energy act. Since Ontario introduced its Clean Energy Act two years ago, there has been incredible uptake of green energy production in Ontario. “One of the next opportunities where we really need to move forward is in agricultural communities with farmers.”
She says there are opportunities in all types of renewable energy production for farmers to consider, not just wind and solar power generation.
In conjunction with the report’s launch, the climate action network and other collaborators began a speaking tour featuring German farmer Hans-Detlef Feddersen, who is a leading expert on renewable energy and an adviser to the German government on clean energy matters. The speaking tour started Monday and ends Thursday. It goes to Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto and Guelph.
Hannah McKinnon, climate action network communications coordinator says Feddersen will be speaking at both public events and private briefings for different groups.
The locations and times of the talks are on the climate action network’s web site.
Feddersen, who grows mainly wheat on a 220-acre farm in northern Germany, says clean energy is the new norm in Germany with farmers driving the shift and benefitting from the growing economic returns. In his community, about 160 people joined a corporation to build a wind farm that provides enough electricity to power a city of 150,000 people.
Being part of a citizen-owned wind farm provides farmers with a second source of income, he says.
Germans have embraced green energy technologies. One of the report’s authors, Arne Jungjohann, of the foundation, says taking a train from Frankfurt to Hamburg, people see many windmills and they “actually like that.” Germans prefer living near windmills, solar electricity installations or have biogas production to living next to coal fired or nuclear-powered plants. They also see renewable energy production as something that strengthens their economy.
Among the report’s highlights are:
• Ontario is the only province in Canada where farmers have an opportunity to build clean energy projects ranging from biogas to solar to wind that bring 10 per cent rates of return;
• Ontario has specific incentives for community-owned energy projects aimed at engaging rural and farm communities;
• Germany’s success has been driven by long-term, stable support for clean energy across the political spectrum.
More than 5,800 megawatts of wind and solar generating capacity will be contracted, under construction or in operation by the end of 2012 as part of Ontario’s Feed In Tariff (FIT) program, it says in the report. The projection for the end of 2018 is for 10,700 megawatts of generating capacity. Applications to the FIT program have already exceeded the projection for 2018. For the microFIT program, more than 25,000 Ontarians have signed up. If this rate of uptake is sustained into the future, renewable energy could account for more than 60 per cent of the electricity generated in Ontario by 2030. BF
Comments
Ontario's touted 10% rate of return is money gouged from the pockets of taxpayers and/or consumers - hardly the sort of sound investment strategy needed to excite any banker being asked to lend money for the purpose.
The conclusions of this report are so preposterous, I had to check to see if it was dated April 1
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
Bankers are happy to lend money for solar investments because of the guaranteed rate of return.
Please stick to the facts.
Would that be the origional 80 cents or the reduced 60 cents....or what about the ones that borrowed the money and can't get connected? Guaranteed by the government? Get real!
What about all the others who have completed everything and are working?
Two sides to every story, right?
when I pay exorbitant electric bills too run farm...we will be net loser of industry at these electric rates
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Generally, I am very supportive of green/renewables being a portion of the overall energy mix. This report indicates that we are hurtling towards our 2030 targets at a break-neck pace and will arrive WAAAAY ahead of schedule.
The 2030 target is 10% wind power. Let's take that as both a minimum and a maximum target. Hitting 60% cannot help but be an unmitigated disaster for for everyone in Ontario, including the collapse of the wind industry when it becomes too fat for the rest of the economy to support.
Someone in government needs to take control of the process and apply the brakes in a sensible manner.
How can farming organizations such as OSCA continue to support these kinds of "green" initiative when this past winter Duguid announced a cut back on these microFit programs because the “grid is not capable of handling these projects” 1000 farmers at this time were left on the sidelines with their solar panel projects.
Just this month in the Toronto Star over 5000 residents cannot connect because Hydro One needs more time to process these solar projects. Continually putting the cart before the horse, is imposing more and more financial risk on the farming community.
In addition, the rate of return on these projects are questionable at best. Most solar projects are indicating a 6 yr turnaround on investment based on the 80 cent/kwh (which no longer exists for ground mounted solar) and 6 hrs of sunlight a day. In a northern country like Canada, one should only expect 4hrs @ best.
http://www.thestar.com/business/companies/article/1013569--hydro-one-swa...
As for wind energy,nowhere is it indicated that it will reduce GHG emissions, increase significantly electrical generation, provide a "new green economy" without heavy costs to the taxpayer and ratepayer and to other manufacturing sectors having to incur increase electricity rates. Spain, Denmark, Germany Texas, Italy have all demonstrated that their heavy investement in the green sector cost them between 2 to as high as 7 jobs in other sectors for every green job they subsidized. When is the farming community going to finally do a proper cost benefit analysis on renewables and understand the math and science behind them. Wind turbines and solar panels do not work enough to pay for themselves, hence the reason we are being forced to heavily subsidized (20 years). The reality is that these will not replace coal generation, OPA has instituded a plan to use NG for this. The amount solar and wind can displace fossil fuel, will be a drop in the bucket and because of their feeble and fickle ability to generate enough electricity needed for a modern society, guess what they use for backup. Fossil fuels!! making these inefficient and in turn more polluting. Ontario is building a very expensive REDUNDANT power generation system, that will only work part-time. How is that suppose to strengthen our economy and provide farmers with opportunity?
The only people who think the renewable energy industry in Germany is a good thing are the ones who profit from it. In reality their energy grid is a disaster Only yesterday the German Gov announced all nuclear plants will be closed down by 2022 while at the same time numerous coal fired stations are in various stages of development -That says a lot for renewable ie Wind and solar.By 2002 there will be a new government and what's the bet the nuclear plants will get a reprieve.
Any one who thinks they are going to make a fortune or do more than break even in Ontario with their solar panels etc are dreaming and haven't done the math and believed the salesman who had in reality no more knowledge than themselves.Remember the story about the "King with no clothes". The ones who do not get hooked up to the grid may yet be the fortunate ones - maybe the sales company will take the units back rather than hear from your lawyer
The energy companies and the equip.sales co make a fortune -the land owner will get shafted and the general public will pay the bill as usual for the ineptitude of this Ontario Gov.
The mind "bogles" at the stupidity of it all.
Tom Clark
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