The town of Ingersoll, Ontario plans to add green jobs to the local economy with the installation of a new 10MW solar farm. The town council voted early in July to move forward with the project, a partnership with InTech Clean Energy.
InTech is a German solar energy company with offices in Ingersoll and New York City. It provides a full range of grid-tied and stand-alone systems with parts sourced from manufacturing plants in the customer’s home region. Ingersoll plans to partner with the company to construct a $32.5 million solar farm on forty-five acres of land in Oxford County. While the plan is still in its early stages and has yet to receive government approval, Ingersoll Mayor, Paul Holbrough, is optimistic, hoping to eventually construct a manufacturing facility close to the farm as well. He added that the project could earn the town close to $2 million a year after accounting for all expenses. A considerable portion of those earnings are expected to come from Ontario’s progressive feed-in-tariff (FIT) program.
Solar Plant to Benefit from Local Manufacturing and Labour
The province’s FIT program pays high prices to producers of clean energy who feed electricity into the power grid. The program offers twenty-year contracts for wind, hydro, biofuel, and solar projects. It provides an added incentive to those looking to switch to renewable energy, and gives a long-term boost to the manufacturing, construction, and training industries. Ontario Solar Academy, for example, offers a variety of in-class and hands-on training courses to help people make the transition to the green job market.
The town proposes to pay back the $32.5 million over fifteen years with money earned through the FIT program. Oxford County was already awarded one FIT contract for a solar farm in Zorra Township to be built by San Francisco’s Recurrent Energy. The project is scheduled to open in 2011, pending further Green Energy Act approval, and will be capable of producing 9.5MW of power.
Solar energy companies who set up shop in the Ingersoll area benefit from an abundance of rural land in close proximity to the urban centers they serve. They also have access to Ontario’s materials, labour, and qualified training.
