“This represents a tremendous opportunity for farmers and our communities to build greater economic prosperity in our rural areas,” said Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It is yet another example of how this government is acting to create jobs and a better future for rural Ontario.”
“We are pleased to see these projects move forward,” said Paul Shervill, VP of the Ontario Power Authority with responsibility for administering the Standard Offer Program. “There has been broad interest from across the province, including proposals representing all approved fuel types and engaging a selection of Local Distribution Companies.”
“Our Standard Offer Program provides an excellent opportunity for organizations to get involved in green power programs,” said Liz Sandals, MPP for Guelph-Wellington. “Here in Guelph, the Fire Fly Energy division of Ag Energy Co-operative will be supplying 10kW from the photovoltaic system installed on the roof of their office building.”
In addition to the first 22 contracts, a further 58 full-blown applications have been submitted, as of the time of this writing. Contracts will be awarded as the applications are evaluated. As part of the application process, each project has demonstrated the commencement of the environmental screening process, if required. There are some limits on which applications the OPA can accept, particularly in areas of the province where the transmission system is overloaded. The OPA posts the most current information available on these transmission constraints on its RESOP microsite, at: www.powerauthority.on.ca/sop.
“This is great news for renewable energy and all Ontario communities,” said Deborah Doncaster, Executive Director of the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association. “The government is delivering on its commitment to help smaller and community–based projects participate in building a sustainable electricity system.”
Minister Duncan expects as much as 1000 MW of capacity to come forward as a result of the SOP. Speaking to the global significance of the program he said, “We have an absolute obligation to address the climate change problem.” He described the initiative as “part of the new economy,” alluding to the concept that environmentally-oriented business is a promising growth area for the economy.
A significant aspect of the SOP is the range of potential applications it will have for farmers and rural communities in Ontario. Participants in the Program may also be eligible for a number of the province’s existing programs related to farm-based energy systems. For more information on the agricultural aspects, please see the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s resources on farm energy systems, including the following web pages: www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/06-055.htm, and www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/energy.html.
APPrO has prepared a page of internet resources to assist people who are interested in developing power projects under the SO Program. Readers are invited to visit the following site and suggest further resources for publication: www.appro.org/SOCresources.html.