Within a few years, Ontario could have the largest base of community-owned renewable energy resources in North America. The Ontario Power Authority has signed feed-in tariff contracts for a range of new projects, including those using solar panels, that will produce 384 megawatts of power collectively. Thanks to these advancements, Ontario will soon be second only to Denmark and Germany in terms of community-owned power (by volume), suggesting that the province’s alternative energy career market should offer numerous opportunities to those who have completed solar, wind, biomas, biogas, and hydro-electric training.

PV Installation Courses Can Help Aboriginal Peoples Access Employment

Because Ontario’s Aboriginal population will construct almost one-third of this 384-megawatt power generation capacity, PV installation courses will likely become more permanent features at many of the Native communities across the province. Feed-in tariff policies mean that farmers, communities, and Native Canadians are able to participate directly in renewable resource development. Ontario is the only province so far to ensure such a high level of involvement in alternative energy careers from its own citizens.

Feed-In Tariffs to Build Pukwis Wind Farm

One example of how the feed-in tariff program is encouraging renewable energy initiatives is the Pukwis wind farm in Northern Ontario. The project, a 20-megawatt set of 10 turbines on Georgina Island, will begin construction early next year. This will be the first community-owned wind farm in Canada. With the feed-in tariff program also encouraging local farmers to generate solar power to feed back into the grid, more jobs in the green energy sector are rapidly becoming available. PV installation courses and other forms of training can make accessing these jobs easier.

Conference Highlights Alternative Energy Careers and Achievements

The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association is Canada’s advocacy group for community-owned renewable power sources. It will be hosting its annual Community Power Conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in mid-November. This event commemorates the 100-year anniversary of community power in Ontario and also highlights specific development projects, such as the Pukwis wind farm. With celebrations like these, alternative energy careers are coming to the public’s attention more often, and this can only mean a continuation of the positive trends in Ontario’s solar economy.