Ontario Solar Provider, Inc. (OSP) took its first step into the province’s green economy on July 25 with a rooftop solar project in Toronto. The installation, near the corner of Eglington Ave. W. and Black Creek Dr., was completed in only five days, and within one hundred days of OSP’s entry into the Ontario market.
OSP is a new company created by seasoned players in the industry. Its major financial backer is Germany’s Enlux Solar GmbH & Co. KG. Enlux provides OSP with significant training and experience in the financing and development of photovoltaic (PV) projects around the globe. The OSP team brings to Ontario’s economy a combined 45,000kW worth of solar installation expertise. The company’s goal is to “provide Ontario with clean and sustainable solar power” through what it calls the Clean Ontario Initiative. The initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions by leasing unused rooftop space and lower-quality rural land for the installation of solar panel systems. These systems can then earn money from electricity generated and sold into the grid.
FIT Creates Green Jobs, Clean Energy
Ontario is a prime location for OSP and Enlux to do business. The province offers a lucrative feed-in tariff (FIT) program modeled after a similar initiative in Germany. Ontario’s FIT program offers twenty-year contracts to producers of solar, wind, biofuel, and hydro electricity who feed clean energy into the province’s power grid. The contracts promise high prices for green energy, up to 80.2 cents per kW-hour for certain solar installations.
Domestic content requirements of the FIT contracts further boost the economy by setting mandatory, minimum targets for materials and labour sourced in-province. For certain projects, up to 50% of inputs must come from within Ontario in order to qualify for government incentives under the FIT program. This creates jobs for Ontarians in the manufacture, installation, operation, and maintenance of green facilities. It also creates a wider market for PV training classes and other educational programs designed to “green up” the province’s workforce.
