Solar Updates

Ontario’s Rising Electricity Prices have little to do with Renewable Energy

While spring in Ontario has yet to bring much rain, there’s been no shortage of mudslinging over rising electricity prices. But there’s more to it than critics of renewable energy would you have you believe.  New data from the Ontario Energy Board (the province’s electricity and natural gas market regulator) shows that electricity prices are going to go up no matter what source of energy we choose to use and that recent rises have very little to do with renewable energy:

  • The power providers who have received the largest portion of the upward adjustments to electricity bills since 2006 aren’t wind and solar energy — they only account for 6 per cent. Instead, it’s nuclear, at 45 per cent. Given that nuclear energy accounts for over half of Ontario’s electricity consumption, this is hardly surprising.
  • While it’s the only province so far to be phasing out coal, price increases are by no means exclusive to Ontario. In coal-powered Alberta, energy prices are forecast to rise by 50 per cent between 2010 and 2016. Between 2002 and 2010, rates in Nova Scotia rose by 37 per cent. In Saskatchewan they rose by 36 per cent. And B.C. Hydro forecasts a rate increase of 32 per cent between 2011 and 2014.

Adapted from “Rising electricity prices have little to do with renewable energy” by Tim Weis (Director of renewable energy policy at the Pembina Institute) published on Saturday May 5 2012  by the Toronto Star.  Read the full article here.

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Ontario’s Green Energy Act is Number 1 in Canada

In a recent news release WWF Canada selected the top five game changers that point the direction for a cleaner, greener Canada.

Guess which came in 1st place …… Ontario’s Green Energy Act.  That’s no surprise to us, but some people don’t understand the importance of the North American leadership position that Ontario is taking to transition to a cleaner greener future.  Spear the Word and Stand Up for Solar!

Here’s the WWF’s top 5:

1. Ontario’s Green Energy Act:

Ontario’s Green Energy Act was introduced in 2009, a comprehensive policy aimed at energy conservation, expanding renewable energy creation and building a green energy industry in the province. This policy, coupled with the ongoing coal phase out in Ontario, was the single biggest action taken to reduce North American emissions in the past five years.

2. Electric cars in the hands of Canadians:

The introduction of electric vehicles to the Canadian marketplace, backed by provincial support, will help encourage Canadians to purchase cleaner car technology. So far, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia have introduced rebate programs for electric vehicles. Quebec’s is the most generous, with $50M earmarked for the program over the next few years. To help residents transition to the new technology, municipalities - including Vancouver, Montreal and Quebec City – are implementing public charging networks. While there are still strides to be made in developing the infrastructure to support these vehicles, they represent a radical shift away from fossil-fuel cars, and are one part of a shift to sustainable transportation.

3. British Columbia and Quebec put a price on carbon:

In 2008, British Columbia introduced a carbon tax, a landmark decision that saw the province apply the tax to all fossil fuels, including gasoline, diesel, coal, natural gas, propane and home heating fuel. To- date, the tax has resulted in a 3 per cent reduction in BC’s gasoline consumption. Quebec has also taken leadership on carbon, having adopted  cap and trade system for greenhouse gas emissions to begin by 2013.

4. Investment in renewable energy overtakes fossil fuels:

2011 marked a major global milestone for renewable energy – for the first time, investment in renewable energy sources was higher than investment in fossil fuels. Savvy investors have realized that the next big opportunity is in renewable energy, not in oil, coal or gas. In Canada alone, new financial investment in renewable energy rose 47% in a single year, from 2009 to 2010.

5. 50% of the Canadian population now lives in a city or town that has a climate action plan:

Municipalities across Canada are leading the way in commitments to cut emissions and take action on climate change. Vancouver has boldly pledged to be the greenest city in the world by 2020. Canadians can feel proud that half of us live in a place where our local governments are showing real leadership by measuring their greenhouse gas emissions, setting targets for cutting these emissions and committing to hard-hitting action plans that will deliver results on climate change.

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It’s time to Stand Up for Solar in Ontario……Again!

Dear Supporter of Ontario’s Solar Energy Future,

The time has come again to take a moment to voice your support for Ontario’s transition to a green energy future.

In 2011, Ontario’s Solar Industry created 8,200 jobs and generated $2 billion of private sector investment. This is only the start. A recent report found that Ontario’s solar energy industry could create 74,000 jobs and over $16 billion if continued growth is allowed.

Recent communications have indicated that the review of the province’s microFIT and FIT programs will be finished by the end of this month, March 2012.

We, Ontario’s citizens, communities and businesses, need to remind our elected officials that support for the principals of solar and green energy is as alive now as ever.

Please take 10 minutes of your time to copy and paste the text below into a letter or an email and send it to your MPP. By voicing our support for cleaner energy and a cleaner economy, we are making Ontario and the world a better place.

Thanks for all your support,

The Stand Up for Solar Team

PS. If you need to find your MPP’s name and address, you can do it here by searching your postal code.

Letter:

Dear: [insert name of MPP]

As my elected official I urge you to stand up for solar and Ontario’s clean energy sector.

Ontario citizens support solar energy – for their homes, for their businesses, and in their communities. They are proud of how far Ontario has come in such a short time. They believe in the impact that solar is having on the province’s job sector, and recognize the role that solar is playing for a cleaner, greener Ontario.

The cost of solar power has decreased significantly in the past decade and investment in the technology and the industry is expected to drive the cost down by a further 30% world-wide by 2013. As sunlight is free, solar power is not subject to price fluctuations from regional political instability or the volatility of traditional energy markets.

Solar power is virtually silent in operation and has no moving parts, it does not produce any form of pollution or emissions, it has no lasting effects on the natural environment where it is situated, and it is recognized as being one of the most environmentally friendly energy sources in the world. Solar power will contribute to moving Ontario from dirty coal dependency to a clean, modern, and reliable energy economy.

I ask you, as my representative in the legislature, to show your support for solar energy and renewable energy as a viable and important source of new clean electricity in Ontario.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

[insert name]
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Redirect more investment into clean energy

Excerpt from Article by Klaus Dohring in the Windsor Star February 22, 2012.  Read the full article here.

When I was born in the late ’50s, there were about three billion people living on planet Earth. Today it is estimated that seven billion people live on this planet. If I live to reach the average Canadian male life expectancy, there will be between nine and 10 billion people living on this planet, per today’s projections.

Such an increase in human world population is unprecedented. Never before have six to seven billion people be net added to the world’s population in the lifetime of one person. Nor will this happen again. We truly live in unusual times.

In addition to this unprecedented global population increase, we have seen very significant increases in per capita resource consumption. Be it larger homes and bigger cars or be it eating meat with rice instead of just eating rice, we all work and strive hard to better ourselves.

Better lifestyle is related to higher consumption of resources. This does not necessarily have to be like that, however, with today’s lifestyle of the developed and the developing world, there is a strong correlation between perceived better lifestyle and resource consumption. We all like to have more of everything. Global energy consumption is doubling about every 30 years.

What does Klaus believe are the implications? Read more here.

 

 

 

 


UN report calls for ‘ever-green’ energy revolution

A high-profile UN panel hopes to spark an “ever-green” energy revolution later this year in Brazil using a general roadmap it presented Monday on how world leaders could wean the world off fossil fuels onto more solar and renewable energy.  Its report links the world body’s goals of reducing poverty and inequality to promoting the use of wind, solar and other renewable sources of energy.

To do that, the panel urges that nations fully integrate the social and environmental costs of their commerce into the prices and measures of their ecoBan Ki Moon, Secretary General for the United Nationsnomic goods and services.

Want to read more?  The group’s final report, Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing, contains 56 recommendations to put sustainable development into practice and to make it a part of mainstream economic policy as quickly as possible.

 

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Snow and Solar Energy in Canada: Let’s Debunk some Myths!

If you have tips or queries about Snow and Solar Energy in Canada, post them below and we’ll compile them into a factsheet for our Resources page.  Even better, if you have related photos or videos share them with us and we’ll post our favourites!  We want Canadians to understand solar energy technology better.  Do you? If so, share this post with your friends!

Blog posted January 20th, updated January 23rd 2012.

It’s January and wintry conditions means snowfall on many solar energy installations for Canadian homes, businesses and communties.  Many Canadians assume that solar energy and wintry conditions are incompatible.  But that’s simply not true.  Snow and ice collects on our cars parked outdoors – but does that mean we can only drive them in the Summer?

So what are the facts that everyone needs to know about snow and solar energy technology in Canada?  Here are some to get us started: 

  • Much of Canada receives snow each year.  A competent solar energy professional will understand how to best  install a solar energy technology to minimize the occurence of snow cover on solar panels and will incorporate these considerations into the system design.

  • How do they do that? Most solar energy installations are tilted at an angle toward the sun to maximize the amount of energy they receive. When there’s a light dusting or a few inches of snow, it simply falls off or melts quickly.  Areas on roofs where excessive snow is likely to collect are avoided.  However, heavy snowfall on solar panels with a tilt of less than 35° could lead to snow cover inhibiting energy production for a number of days at a time.

  • What if there’s a heavy snowfall and snow remains?  If  the panels are easily accessible, the snow can be brushed off with a soft broom.  If the panels are not easily accessible, there are a number of options:

1. Wait until the snow melts:  A few cm of snow will melt and slide quickly off panels with a tilt of 35° or more.  This is especially the case with blue-sky days and/or milder temperatures.  Several cm of snow on flat panels could remain significantly longer.

2. Sweep the snow off:  Snow can often be easily removed with a soft broom from solar panels.  Please remember, this can be difficult and/or dangerous and the use of ladders can present a risk of injury.

Look how easy it can be to clear snow from a residential solar electric installation in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  You can check the performance of the system in realtime here too.

3. Spray the snow off with a garden hose: Snow can be sprayed off solar panels with a garden hose.  This is only advisable when temperatures will remain above freezing during and after the spraying. 

4. The ‘Nerf football method’:  Some people recommend tossing a soft spongy football at the panels to clear a small patch – when the sun warms the area, the rest of the snow will melt away. 

  • What if solar panels aren’t cleared of snow cover?   The number of days that the output of a well-designed solar energy installation is reduced by snow cover in Canada, should be minimal relative to annual production – not much to worry about.

  • What about the cold temperatures?  Cold temperatures actually improve the performance of solar energy technology.  Photovoltaic materials (materials that produce electricity from light) are more efficient at lower temperatures and  solar heating technologies produce more energy when the water and air that is heated starts off being cooler.

  • Anything else of interest? Fresh snow reflects up to 90% of the light that lands on it (a perfect mirror reflects 100%).  In certain configurations, the presence of snow can greatly increase the performance of solar energy technologies by increasing the amount of light available.

Thanks for reading, check back soon for updates!

 

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Stand Up for Solar on Election Day

Dear Ontario Solar Supporter,

As we arrive on Election Day, we want to thank you for Standing Up for Solar in Ontario.

In the last few weeks, thousands of Ontario citizens have voiced their support for solar energy by sending letters to provincial candidates, joining our campaign on facebook and twitter, and speaking out in communities across the province. Because of you, we have built a community of supporters that are standing up together to declare that Ontario wants a solar energy future.

Now, we are asking you to build on this momentum by Standing Up for Solar today. Ontario has become a world leader in solar energy. That’s something to be proud of – and it’s worth protecting. If we work together at this critical moment, we can ensure a bright future for Ontario and beyond.

Have Your Voice Heard. Stand Up for Solar on Election Day.

For detailed information on your voting options, visit the Elections Ontario website: www.elections.on.ca

Thanks again for your support!


Solar Energy: Nature’s Idea

Using energy from the sun. Makes sense. It’s what nature’s been doing all this time. The solar industry is just the evolution of our journey towards re-creating the process that nature has long since perfected.

 Great video from Bright Power says it all with so little!


Ontario’s Path to Green Prosperity

By Jürgen Trittin, Germany’s Minister for the Environment from 1998 to 2005.

Just 20 years ago, nearly all of Germany’s electricity was generated by coal, oil and nuclear power. Today, renewables such as wind and solar provide more than 20 per cent of the nation’s power. Clean energy production has become a major source of jobs and investment. It has been a real success story for the economy and the environment.

Ontario is now embarking on a similar path. It is building a global reputation as an emerging clean energy leader in North America. To drive this change, Ontario is using a feed-in-tariff program (providing price incentives for green energy) that is very similar to the one we have used in Germany. This program has been the key to our success, and should produce similar results in Ontario.

Read the full article here.

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A Letter to Ontario Solar Supporters

Dear Ontario Solar Supporter,

Thank you for Standing Up for Solar in Ontario! In the last few weeks, thousands of Ontario citizens have voiced their support for solar energy by sending letters to provincial candidates, joining our campaign on facebook and twitter, and speaking out in communities across the province. Because of you, we have built a community of supporters that are standing up together to declare that Ontario wants solar – for today and in the future.

Now, in the final week of the election, we are asking you to carry out three simple tasks:

  1. Send a letter to your provincial candidates on our website.
  2. Share our campaign via facebook and twitter.
  3. Forward this message to your friends and family to encourage them to take action.

Ontario has become a world leader in solar energy. That’s something to be proud of – and it’s worth protecting. As we near the election on Thursday, we can multiply our impact by speaking loudly and clearly about our desire for a solar energy future. Now is the time to Stand Up for Solar in Ontario. Now is the time to have your voice heard.

If we work together, we can ensure a bright future for Ontario. Please Stand Up for Solar today.

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ShineONtario: See the Dawn

Ontario, it’s time to be smart about solar energy. It’s pollution free. It creates more jobs. And just like computers and smartphones, prices are falling fast. Solar is just better. Here in Ontario, solar costs each of us less than a cup of coffee a month, has created thousands of new jobs, and attracted billions in investment into our economy. Today, Ontarians are world leaders in solar energy. That’s something to be proud of – and it’s worth protecting. Find out more at:

http://www.shineONtario.com

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Building a Clean Energy System for Ontario

Ontario is the first province, state, or country in the world to make a bold commitment to close down its coal-fired power plants – a move supported across partisan lines. This is a laudable step in the right direction, and a move that we should all be proud of as Ontario citizens.

There are a number of changes on the horizon for Ontario’s energy system in the coming years, and a lot of important decisions that will affect our communities. Almost half of our power plants need to be rebuilt or retired in the next 10 years, and over half of our transmission lines require major investments.

To meet these challenges, solar energy will play an important role in creating healthier and cleaner communities across the province, while ensuring that our electricity system remains reliable and affordable for all.

With the Green Energy Act, Ontario has introduced Canada’s first comprehensive legislation that encourages individuals, communities and companies to develop and own solar energy projects.

Ask your provincial candidates how they will address the challenges above – and whether they support solar energy as part of a clean, sustainable energy system for Ontario.


Ontario’s Green Energy Field Day

Let’s Celebrate Ontario’s solar energy progress!

On Saturday September 24th, all across the province, Ontarians are celebrating the early successes of our emerging clean energy economy, the thousands of jobs it has created, and the hope that’s building for a cleaner, greener, more prosperous future for Ontario.

Come out to join the Stand Up for Solar team at Queen’s Park, as we celebrate our solar energy economy and tell our provincial candidates that we support solar in Ontario.

IN TORONTO: Queens Park, 12pm – 6pm - With solar-powered live music, engaging speakers, information booths, and an all-wheels ride at noon. This family-friendly event will include a Kid’s Zone with lots of fun activities. More info: http://www.moving-planet.org/events/ca/toronto/739

ACROSS ONTARIO: Green Energy Field Day - Local renewable energy and conservation projects, big and small, are opening their doors right across the province to give you a rare chance to explore the quiet energy revolution taking place in our communities. From solar energy plants to eco-retrofits – find an event near you at http://wattsnext.ca

It’s part of 350.org‘s Moving Planet, a global day of action with thousands of events around the world, highlighting the urgent need for government action to move beyond fossil fuels and solve the climate crisis. Ontario is already moving forward on clean energy. Together, we’ll celebrate our progress and call on our provincial candidates to keep moving Ontario forward.


The True Cost of Solar Energy

Is the price of electricity rising because of solar energy?  Recent studies say No.

In a recent report by ClearSky Advisors on the economic impacts of solar energy in Ontario, research shows that solar energy will contribute only 70 cents to the typical household electricity bill per month through 2018 – less than a cup of coffee or donut.

In a similar report by The Pembina Institute, research found that investing in renewable energy today is likely to save Ontario ratepayers money within the next 15 years, as natural gas becomes more expensive and the cost of renewable energy technology continues to decrease.  The report also found that Ontario’s electricity consumers would see virtually no relief from high electricity prices if the province cancelled its support for renewable energy under the Green Energy Act.

“Ontario’s electricity system is in critical condition,” said Tim Weis, Director of Renewable Energy and efficiency policy at the Pembina Institute. “As the province’s polluting coal plants are phased out and its nuclear plants reach the end of their lives, the decisions Ontarians make today will determine how reliable, sustainable and affordable the province’s electricity system will be twenty years from now.”

The research also indicates that consumer electricity prices are set to continue to rise sharply over the next decade — with prices peaking around 2022, when Ontario’s nuclear fleet is currently scheduled to undergo significant shut downs. Even if future contracts for renewable energy were ended in 2011, the model shows there would be very little change to projected electricity price increases — amounting to roughly a $4 difference on the average household’s monthly electricity bill.

Stand Up for Solar today to ensure that your local provincial candidates know you support Ontario’s transition to a cleaner energy future!

 

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Meet Denise, One of Ontario’s New Solar Workers

Meet Denise Watterson, one of 8200 individuals employed by Ontario’s Solar Energy Industry.

Denise is a Team Lead at Canadian Solar in Guelph, Ontario. Canadian Solar is the largest solar manufacturer in Canada. They located in Ontario thanks to the Province’s Green Energy Act.

Stand up, be counted and participate in this important discussion by telling your provincial candidates that you support solar energy in Ontario!

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Solar Energy Creates Jobs

The evidence is in: Solar energy creates more jobs per dollar and per unit of energy than any other energy source – more than coal, more than nuclear, more than natural gas. Solar creates more jobs. Period. And this means more opportunities for Ontario residents across the province, as solar energy is distributed in nature, creating local economic opportunities in communities across Ontario.

A recent study shows that 8200 full-time solar jobs have been created in Ontario since 2009, and is expected to grow to over 11,400 in 2012 and 74,000 cumulatively by 2018. These new jobs are the direct result of Ontario’s commitment to develop a clean, sustainable energy economy.

Stand up and let your provincial candidates know that solar jobs matter to you!

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ShineONtario: Solar Energy Is Here

Ontario, it’s time to be smart about solar energy. It’s pollution free. It creates more jobs. And just like computers and smartphones, prices are falling fast. Solar is just better. Here in Ontario, solar costs each of us less than one cup of coffee per month, has created thousands of new jobs, and attracted billions in investment into our economy. Today, Ontarians are world leaders in solar energy. That’s something to be proud of – and it’s worth protecting.

Brought to you by: SkyPower Limited and Canadian Solar Inc.

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