On Monday, November 22, Belleville’s mayor and city council approved details for a plan to construct a solar energy installation on the roof of the Quinte Sports Centre. The project will take part in the Ontario government’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program, which creates green energy and jobs by using financial incentives to encourage businesses and individuals to install grid-tied renewable energy systems.
The Quinte Sports Centre solar project will be built by Toronto’s Ainsworth, Inc. (Ainsworth), a key player in Ontario’s energy industry. Ainsworth focuses on electrical installations and energy conservation projects, which currently include solar projects that will help power classes at St. Lawrence College in Kingston and Brockville. The company has signed a $3 million contract to install 2,000 solar panels on the Belleville sports complex, but according to city property manager, Joel Carr-Braint, the actual number will depend on the results of a review of the roof’s structural integrity.
Under the FIT, the Ontario Power Authority has agreed to pay the Sports Centre 63.5 cents/kW-hour for the electricity generated by the new solar installation, which, according to Belleville’s Mayor, Mark Fluhrer, “will allow the city to recover (the centre’s) cost in energy.” The city expects to pay back the cost of the project, around $5 million, within seven and a half years and generate more than $7 million in revenue over the twenty-year life of the FIT contract.
FIT Creates Solar Energy, Green Jobs
Ontario’s solar industry benefits greatly from the FIT. The program’s high prices, up to 80.2 cents/kW-hour, have encouraged investment into new installations and manufacturing plants in the province. This, in turn, has created jobs in the design, production, and installation of solar energy systems and led to the creation of a number of support industries, including solar energy classes, that help prepare Ontario workers for these new job opportunities.
Solar energy is booming in Ontario, thanks to the FIT and the efforts of municipalities and institutions across the province who help make the dream of renewable energy into a reality. For the thousands who enjoy its facilities each year, the Quinte Sports Centre will provide a real-world example of what is possible when communities and different levels of government collaborate towards a greater goal.
