Solar Distributed Power

In June of 2010 the Third World Bazaar installed a 10Kw solar system.  This was done under the new Ontario micro-FIT  (Feed In Tariff) program. All of our electricity goes directly to Hydro One, to be consumed by the closest customer.  When the Bazaar needs electricity we buy that separately.  Effectively, we are a local producer for Manotick Station Hydro One customers.   When the sun is shining (and even when it is cloudy), we are producing, thereby removing the need to ship electricity across the province.

We received a 20 year contract for our power at a fixed rate and have made our own investment in capital, insurance and financing.   We are only paid when electrons are delivered.    There are no taxpayer subsidies paid to renewable energy producers under this program, all rates are paid for by the rate payers.  Tailored rates are offered for different technologies; Run-of-River, BioMass, BioGas, Land-Fill Gas, Wind and Solar. 

We believe that small, distributed, renewable power generation is a key component of Ontario’s electrical future:

-          It stabilizes and decentralizes the power grid making the grid more efficient by reducing line loss (8 to 12%, and up to 30% during peak demand periods) Ontario;

-          It distributes employment across the province;

-          The Feed In Tariff program only pays WHEN power is generated  (no more 10 year nuclear construction projects pre-financed by the taxpayers);

-          It provides new revenue streams for Cooperatives, Homeowners, Farmers, Roof Owners, Paper Mills, Factories and anyone else who wants to be a producer;

-          Rates are charged to the power consumers, NOT TO THE TAXPAYERS. 

We encourage you to investigate Ontario’s Green Energy Act and the related Feed-In Tariffs to see how this program may fit your personal curiosity, family investment needs or business interests.

Ontario Power Authority Feed-In Tariff Web site http://fit.powerauthority.on.ca/

Green Energy Act Alliance http://www.greenenergyact.ca/

Powerful, Energy for Everyone - Documentary Movie examining democracy and power http://powerfulthemovie.com

The Ottawa Renewable Energy Cooperative (www.OttawaRenewableEnergyCoop.ca) is a way for people to participate in the Feed-in Program in smaller increments, or if they do not have an ideal facility for solar or other renewable technologies.

 

Ottawa Citizen letter

It's exciting to produce my own energy 

The Ottawa Citizen September 10, 2010

  

Dick Bakker writes that Ontario's new 'green energy' policies encourage power generation in the communities.

Re: Political winds keep blowing, Sept. 4.

I support the Ontario government's new energy policy to reduce taxpayer subsidization of big power plants and promote consumers to become producers.

Comments that wind and solar projects are paid more than the so-called going rate for electricity avoid the fact that the present system subsidizes large power plants and expensive grid expansion. This inflexible, centralized grid, generates smog and nuclear waste, bankrupted Ontario Hydro, caused the seven-day restart during the 2003 blackout and has left us with neverending debt retirement charges.

The Green Energy Act gives renewable production preference with respect to building codes, municipal legislation, water regulation and conservation laws. The feed-in tariffs provide fixed, 20-year rates for producers, enabling private financing for renewable projects. Nothing is paid unless energy is delivered. Rates are skewed higher for smaller projects that generate power close to the consumer. Localizing the production improves the efficiency of the overall network; distribution can lose eight to 12 per cent (during the peak load periods loss can exceed 30%).

The present grid is designed to deliver power unidirectionally, from the big producer to the distant consumer. The Green Energy Act encourages small consumers to become energy producers with various technologies. Co-operatives, farmers, lumber yards, waste facilities, home owners, building owners can now become energy producers, feeding electricity into their local communities. Big producers, who will always be the major suppliers, are paid much lower rates.

I have installed solar at my Manotick Station business, the Third World Bazaar. The power is fed into the grid during the day, when I do not need the energy, but the local Bakker's General Store does. Because their peak consumption is during daylight hours, my production offsets power that would normally be distributed from afar.

There is another solar MicroFIT project operating in Manotick Station, and others are being considered. There is a real possibility that this little hamlet could become a net energy exporter, lowering the strain on the power grid, minimizing line loss and reducing the purchase of peak load production by Hydro One. The local producers will be individuals and small businesses in the community, the money and jobs will stay local.

The present government policies are a breath of fresh air in Canada. The policies are not perfect, but for the first time we have a government program that encourages local energy generation over centralized power production. This will give us more employment, more manufacturing, a more resilient power grid, a more localized economy and more realistic power rates; "clean energy" is merely a side benefit.

Dick Bakker,

Manotick Station

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