In order to realize its vision, CanSIA sees the following conditions:
• Solar energy industries accelerate progress in increasing efficiencies, building scale and driving down the cost of solar through innovation:
» boost investment in research and development to design more highly efficient solar modules and lower the cost of systems installation and ongoing maintenance
» build scale by creating niche markets for export, leveraging quality Canadian workmanship
» create value through comprehensive energy solutions that help Canada’s leading businesses to manage their energy and increase their own global competitiveness
» develop tools to streamline processes, dismantle barriers to adoption of solar energy and increase efficiencies at all stages of the value chain.
• Stable government policies and programs provide certainty for investors and other stakeholders in the near term:
» signal clear and longer-term commitment to existing government programs for renewable energy
» extend the federal government’s ecoENERGY program for renewable heat, preferably well before it is set to expire in March 2011 to ensure no interruption in investment plans
» maintain commitment to provincial programs that have made investment.
• New initiatives promote rapid adoption of solar products, including changes to building codes, interconnection and procurement policies
» require building owners in the institutional sector (including municipalities, universities, schools and hospitals) to incorporate solar thermal and solar PV energy systems
» update building codes to require that all new buildings meet minimum thresholds for energy self-sufficiency by a certain deadline
» mandate provincial and territorial governments to generate a percentage of electricity and heat from non-hydro renewable sources, with specified solar energy requirements.
• A collaborative effort among stakeholders to take solar energy to the next level, incorporating solar into houses, buildings and other infrastructure
» streamline development timelines by breaking down government “silos” that are slowing project development, and adding to development costs
» establish a new, enhanced and “smart” grid that better manages the increasingly diverse mix of renewable energy and reduces the burden of system upgrades to solar development
» develop joint energy strategies across provinces that would eliminate boundaries and create a larger single market for solar products and services.
• Education, training and certification programs to meet demand for new “clean energy” skills, and promote better understanding of energy issues and opportunities.
Related stories in this feature:
What’s behind Ontario’s PV boom?
Enbridge, First Solar announce more projects
First Solar and the Sarnia solar farm
Ontario’s solar sector evolves to meet the challenge of large scale application
The evolution of PV technology
Competition in the PV industry evolving quickly
How much is solar actually costing us?
Extracting additional benefits from solar installations