Naqvi touts Ontario FIT program.
Ottawa Centre MPP Yasir Naqvi outlined Ontario’s long-term energy policy and the MicroFIT program to Glebe residents.
Eddie Rwema
Creating money-making opportunities from solar energy was
the highlight of the Glebe Enviro Fair last weekend at the Glebe community
centre.
Residents and businesses interested in installing renewable
electricity generation projects that are 10 kilowatts or less in size showed up
to hear the opportunities of the Ontario’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program and how
they can take advantage of the 20-year contract that pays producers for every
kWh of electricity sent to the grid from solar-power panels.
“As the MPP for Ottawa centre I felt it was important to host
a session like this to address resident’s curiosity on how to produce solar
energy at the same time making money from electricity they generate,” said
Yasir Naqvi, Ottawa Centre MPP.
According to Naqvi, the Ontario Green Energy and Green Economy
Act will bring 9,000 megawatts of electricity from renewable sources and create
50,000 jobs province wide.
“This is a government’s 20 year plan of having a mix of
energy generation and solar is one aspect of it,” he said.
“It is a brand new program, as pioneers we are learning as
we go forward.”
The province announced the details of its renewable energy
plan in 2009, including FIT, program. The program allows individuals and
businesses to invest in solar, wind or other forms of renewable energy and to
make back their investment over time.
Hydro Ottawa said 442 homeowners have applied to be part of
the FIT program and 48 have been awarded contracts. The Ontario Power Authority
recommends checking the program requirements before investing in hardware for
renewable energy projects.
Under the program, the Power Authority will pay small solar
producers 80.2 cents per kilowatt hour of energy they send to the grid. But to
qualify, the authority requires that at least 40 per cent of the products and
labour used to get the project up and running come from Ontario. The
requirement is meant to encourage growth in green energy manufacturing in the
province.
“This is a way of giving the average person the tools to participate
in their own economy, their own energy use and generation,” said Capital Coun.
David Chernushenko.
“This is an ideal scenario where we don’t have to feel that
we are just energy takers, but that we can actually be a contributor and put
our own money into it.”
“The ability of generating your own energy and generating
some income out of it is exciting to a lot of people,” Chernushenko noted.