Small FIT projects window opened

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

In what the Ontario energy ministry calls “a re-launching of the small Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program,” the Ontario Power Authority  (OPA) has started accepting applications for renewable energy projects of more than 10 and up to 500 kilowatts. Those projects will come on stream with rate reductions of about 20 per cent for solar projects and 15 per cent for wind projects. There is also a points system that favours projects with greater community and Aboriginal involvement.

In a news release, the Ontario energy ministry says it is setting aside megawatts in the small FIT program “for projects with more than 50 per cent community or Aboriginal participation.”

There are three classes of FIT programs, the micro FIT  program is for projects of 10 kilowatts or less, the small FIT for projects of more than 10 and up to 500 kilowatts and the large FIT for programs of more than 500 kilowatts.

The micro FIT application window was reopened by OPA earlier in the year. The application window for small FIT programs is open now. A time to apply for large FIT programs of more than 500 kilowatts has yet to be announced.  BF