I had a chance to absorb some of the elements of Ontario’s Green Energy Act and, despite the many programs and policies that still need to flow from it over the coming months — assuming it passes, which is likely — I think it’s a progressive document. Most media outlets have been dwelling on the mandatory home-energy audit that would be required every time somebody sells a home, but this is a minor part of the overall legislative package and could easily be modified or eliminated to address people’s concerns.

On the energy audit, I have to admit I’m surprised by the outrage. (more…)

Tomorrow — Monday — is a big day in Ontario, and potentially across Canada. The Ontario government will be tabling comprehensive green-energy legislation that, if it lives up to promises, will blow open the market and make Ontario *the* place in North America to develop renewable-energy projects and establish manufacturing and supply chains to support them. It will equally emphasize energy conservation, putting Ontario potentially in the league of Denmark, Germany and California.

What to expect:

• The act will amend at least 15 existing statutes, including the building code, to put greater emphasis and priority on renewables and conservation.
• It will upload zoning authority regarding wind-turbine placement to the province, which will set an Ontario-wide standard. The government essentially wants to pre-screen areas considered “environmentally sensitive” and will establish firm set-back distances from residential areas that will fast-track projects that are often delayed at the municipal level, on a project-by-project basis, by NIMBY groups.
• Establish a “one-stop, one-window” approvals process so developers don’t have to navigate through so much red tape. Also, a guarantee to grant permits to project developers within six months.
• The standard offer contract, which pays a set feed-in tariff for small-scale renewable projects (under 10 megawatts), will be replaced by a more ambitious program that sets no limits on project size but will set tariffs based on the specific technology being used and size of the project.
• For the first time, the province will aim to eventually set feed-in tariffs for offshore wind in the Great Lakes and pump storage projects.
• Homeowners will soon have access to direct grants and low-interest loans to help pay for technology and appliances that make their homes more energy efficient.
• New policies will flow from the legislation that support co-operatives of farmers, homeowners and businesses that want to invest in renewable-energy projects.
• All homes being sold — resale or new — will have to have an energy audit conducted so buyers know the energy efficiency of the home up front.
• There’s also talk, not yet confirmed, that the government aims to socialize the cost of feeder lines that need to be built to enable renewables. Local-content requirements are also being considered, though this is very preliminary. The government is also looking at possibly supporting the bulk purchase of turbines and solar panels to make it easier for individual community co-ops to get product at competitive prices and without having to wait in line behind bigger projects that are given higher priority by manufacturers.

The bottom line is that the government — and particularly Energy and Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman — appears quite serious about turbo-charging Ontario’s renewable-energy sector in a way that will attract investment and jobs. In a speech he gave on Friday, Smitherman used the word “certainty” several times, with emphasis, to get across the point that Ontario through this legislation will be the place for development, manufacturing and investment.  “If passed, it will propel Ontario forward to be the North American green energy leader,” he said. “With this single bold move, we join global green power leaders like Denmark, Germany and Spain.”

In an interview after his speech, Smitherman said the goal is about “making sure we’re moving in a way that gives Ontarians the opportunity for jobs in the green economy. The jurisdictions that get there first and have certainties associated with the processes are going to benefit first. We’re taking Ontario to the front of the pack.”

It’s a good target to have. All eyes will be on the details released Monday, and the policies that will flow from this framework over the coming months. Ultimately, however, it’s about putting words into action.

Ontario is famous for coming out with progressive programs and then trying to shoe-horn them into existing policies and procedures, with the end result being delay, dissatisfaction and eventually dead projects. When the province launched its standard offer program for renewable projects under 10 megawatts, developers of projects less than 500 kilowatts — e.g. farmers trying to set up biogas systems or community co-ops putting in a couple of wind turbines — found they were treated like the multi-megawatt big boys. They had to apply to the local distribution company for a “connection impact assessment,” which required a detailed engineering study. This application process typically involved a five-month wait in the queue before the application was even considered.

Somebody has finally realized that, hey, that dinky anaerobic digestion system or school-top solar system isn’t really going to impact the grid that much so, well, maybe we should let them skip ahead of those big wind farms that are hogging everyone’s attention and time.  That “somebody” is the Ontario Energy Board, which amended rules that will now let renewable projects between 10 kilowatts and 500 kilowatts in size avoid the queu altogether. Now, the local utility can still delay the project if it has any concerns, but at least these small developers can get to judgement day five months earlier. You can read the full story here.

The next step, which we’re supposed to see in the new Green Energy Act to be tabled next Monday, is a “right to connect.” We’ll see.

It’s been a long-time coming, but finally the electricity sector in Ontario has taken a close look at what a smart grid might look like and what it will take to get us there. The Ontario Smart Grid Forum, made up of electricity sector executives and officials, released a white paper this week that, among other things, recommended that the province spend $320 million annually for the next five years on smart grid technology deployment — and that’s above and beyond existing budget allocations for grid maintenance, expansion and smart meter deployment. (See my Toronto Star article here).

It would be a decent chunk of change, at least measured against the pittance the federal government has allocated for the entire country — that is, some unknown portion of a $1 billion “green” fund spread over five years. In the United States, a stimulus bill under discussion would devote $11 billion (U.S.)  over two years. (more…)

I had the honour of moderating a discussion on Tuesday evening between Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki and Ontario Energy and Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman. The event, aimed at promoting the creation of a Green Energy Act for Ontario, included a free showing of The Suzuki Diaries (you can watch it in full online). It’s an entertaining and insightful one-hour documentary that follows the European travels of Suzuki and his daughter Sarika as they explore the creative use of renewable-energy technologies in Germany, France, Spain, and Denmark. In addition to the focus on renewables, there’s a message in there about the need for parents to give their children hope that we have the means today of changing the world for the better.

If you’re interested in learning about the Green Energy Act initiative in Ontario, click here. The envisioned act would give renewables and conservation priority in electricity system planning and grid access, make advanced renewable energy tariffs the primary mechanism for developing green energy in the province (as opposed to RFPs), aim to support such projects with low-interest financing, promote development of the smart grid, and stimulate community and First Nation projects, all with a mind to creating green-collar jobs.

Environmental groups are introducing the envisioned act on Friday in hopes the Ontario government will adopt parts or all of it. So far Smitherman, who appears to have a genuine interest in raising the bar on renewables and conservation, has indicated his support for such legislation and is apparently making steps toward that goal. It will be interesting to see how far the government does go, but if this initiative ever does make its way into legislation it would make Ontario THE hotspot for renewable energy development in North America.

If you’re interested in seeing some YouTube video clips of the Q&A with Suzuki and Smitherman, then click through to the next page. Thankfully somebody in the audience shot the videos (I haven’t a clue who, but probably with a BlackBerry) so pardon the quality. (more…)