On January 18 Brad Duguid, the member of the provincial legislature representing Scarborough Centre, was appointed Ontario Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. He will be leading the charge as the government rolls out its ambitious green energy program and grapples with the challenges of a system undergoing change

Although 700 microFIT contracts were announced in December, the proponents of 8,000 MW worth of large-scale Feed-In Tariff (FIT) Program applications could be waiting until March for definite answers on whether they will receive contracts in the first round of major projects under the FIT Program.

In Ontario the Samsung agreement, with its economic development adder, formalized the value that the province places on investment and job creation. Meanwhile, in the U.S. it appears that the economic development issues are becoming increasingly important drivers of energy policy.