Dozens of experts from all areas of Ontario’s green economy will convene October 5th and 6th in Toronto for the Ontario Feed-in Tariff Supply Chain Forum. The forum will give those involved with clean energy an opportunity to discuss Ontario’s new incentives for renewable power.
The Ontario Power Authority’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program offers producers of clean energy high prices for power fed into the grid. The program, which began accepting applications in May of 2009, offers many potential benefits to the Ontario economy over the short and long term. Its goal is to add green jobs and provide an economic boost to the province, while phasing out more polluting forms of energy.
As the FIT program continues to pick up steam, participants have identified a number of concerns. One major issue involves domestic content requirements (DCRs). The FIT program requires that a certain percent of a participating project’s labour and materials be sourced in-province. For solar energy installations, DCRs can reach as high as 50%, going up to 60% next year. While this is good news for Ontarians embarking upon careers in the expanding green job market, developers are concerned about access to local parts.
FIT Changes May Affect Green Jobs
Another concern with the FIT program regards recent proposed changes to its price structure. The province recently announced that it intends to scale back prices offered for ground-mounted solar energy installations for microFIT projects (10kW or less). The changes are intended to correct a disparity between the costs of rooftop versus ground-mounted units, but those whose careers rely on the higher prices worry about the impact these changes will have on the market.
Over fifty experts will be on hand at the forum to address these and other concerns, and to hear input from developers, land-owners, and private citizens on progress made in the first year and a half of the program. Confirmed speakers include representatives of the Ontario Power Authority, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, and Hydro One. Members of the financial industry will also be present to discuss financing for solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects.
The forum is organized by Canadian Clean Energy Conferences, a Wakefield, Quebec-based events company dedicated to supporting “the transition to clean, renewable and sustainable energy and water in Canada.”
