Ontario’s solar energy industry has made great progress. Just over a year into the province’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program, the Green Energy Act Alliance (the Alliance) has released a report on the Green Energy and Green Economy Act’s successes. The Act was signed into law in May of 2009 and opened the door for the creation of the FIT later the same year. The FIT pays above-market rates to owners of projects that feed solar, wind, and biofuel energy into the power grid. In only a year, the program and the industry have succeeded in creating thousands of renewable energy jobs and have opened the door to new educational opportunities, such as photovoltaic (PV) installation courses.
In its first year, the FIT approved more solar and wind capacity than a similar program in France did in its first year and more PV energy than Spain’s industry, the second biggest solar market in the world. “The response to the Green Energy Act is overwhelming,” says Dr. Rick Smith, Executive Director of Canada’s Environmental Defence. “To be in the same league as France and Spain,” he adds, “is beyond our wildest dreams.”
Program Creates Renewable Energy Jobs for PV Course Graduates
The Alliance’s report also shares good news about energy independence. The FIT has helped spur a long-awaited democratization of the energy supply. Ontario already has the most community ownership of renewable energy on the continent; more than 22,000 people have applied to receive the government’s incentives for “green” projects.
The FIT program’s domestic content requirements (DCRs) add an extra element of empowerment. By 2011, up to 60% of the parts and labour used in participating projects must come from within the province. This provides added incentive for workers to upgrade their skills with PV design and installation courses like the ones offered by Canada’s only ISPQ-accredited solar training school, Ontario Solar Academy (OSA). According to a recent report by ClearSky Advisors (ClearSky), if approvals for FIT applications continue at the current pace for another four years, Ontario will add the equivalent of 70,000 new jobs to its renewable energy sector.
It is clear that renewable energy, in one form or another, is here to stay. Solar power continues to make great strides in efficiency and cost. Moreover, it spreads the wealth, offers greater energy security, and helps Ontarians become more involved in processes that shape their futures. “Renewable energy isn’t left versus right,” says Dr. Smith, “it’s about choosing the future over the past… Ontario isn’t just shutting (down) polluting coal plants. We’re transforming as a province and spreading the benefits that clean energy brings.”
