green-energy-canada

When Is It Right to Redevelop Hydroelectric Facilities?

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:06:28 +0100

It is a question that many in the industry are familiar with. There are many concerns when developing renewable energy projects. The most important concern is the environmental impact. Ultimately, renewable energy's selling feature is that it provides greater environmental benefits than not doing it. In most scenarios, there are cost benefits to any new development. My feeling it that the redevelopment of already impacted areas provides an opportunity to maintain the existing impacts and the resulting adapted environment with the creation of renewed green energy production. Water is already the greatest form of renewable energy. Waterpoweris commonly viewed as reliable, reactive and renewable. It has been described as a source of energy "more than renewable". I agree. So important to the energy mix is that hydro is used as the perfect and only large scale support system for the wind industry. Where we can dramatically curb the new environmental impacts and provide this source of energy, it is my feeling that we should take all means necessary to support the redevelopment and refurbishment of our heritage green energy assets.

Many of these sites are seen as too small, or too aged to attract large corporate investment. This has caused an environment of less than optimal usage of the flowing resource, and in some cases the abandonment and removal of these sites.

When we are promoting new renewable technologies, we need to also be supporting our proven suppliers and encourage their continuing operations. Support can come from local communities, government initiatives, school level education programs demonstrating its history and benefits, and supplying to an informative discussion so as to avoid broad generalizations on hydroelectric development that have tarnished the good.

New battery could change world, one house at a time

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:29:47 +0100

andy Wright - Daily Herald | Posted: Saturday, April 4, 2009 2:30 pm | (4) Comments

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ASHLEY FRANSCELL/Daily Herald Ceramatec President Ashok V. Joshi and his team John Gordon (from left to right), John Watkins, Grover Coors and Anthony Nickens at Ceramatec in Salt Lake City. The team has been working on developing a storage battery for homes and businesses. Photo taken at Ceramatec in Salt Lake City.

In a modest building on the west side of Salt Lake City, a team of specialists in advanced materials and electrochemistry has produced what could be the single most important breakthrough for clean, alternative energy since Socrates first noted solar heating 2,400 years ago.

The prize is the culmination of 10 years of research and testing -- a new generation of deep-storage battery that's small enough, and safe enough, to sit in your basement and power your home.

It promises to nudge the world to a paradigm shift as big as the switch from centralized mainframe computers in the 1980s to personal laptops. But this time the mainframe is America's antiquated electrical grid; and the switch is to personal power stations in millions of individual homes.

Former energy secretary Bill Richardson once disparaged the U.S. electrical grid as "third world," and he was painfully close to the mark. It's an inefficient, aging relic of a century-old approach to energy and a weak link in national security in an age of terrorism.

Taking a load off the grid through electricity production and storage at home would extend the life of the system and avoid the expenditure of tens, or even hundreds, of billions to make it "smart."

The battery breakthrough comes from a Salt Lake company called Ceramatec, the R&D arm of CoorsTek, a world leader in advanced materials and electrochemical devices. It promises to reduce dependence on the dinosaur by hooking up with the latest generation of personalized power plants that draw from the sun.

Solar energy has been around, of course, but it's been prohibitively expensive. Now the cost is tumbling, driven by new thin-film chemistry and manufacturing techniques. Leaders in the field include companies like Arizona-based First Solar, which can paint solar cells onto glass; and Konarka, an upstart that purchased a defunct Polaroid film factory in New Bedford, Mass., and now plans to print cells onto rolls of flexible plastic.

The convergence of these two key technologies -- solar power and deep-storage batteries -- has profound implications for oil-strapped America.

"These batteries switch the whole dialogue to renewables," said Daniel Nocera, a noted chemist and professor of energy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who sits on Ceramatec's science advisory board. "They will turn us away from dumb technology, circa 1900 -- a 110-year-old approach -- and turn us forward."

Why not just upgrade to a so-called "smart grid" as President Obama has proposed in his economic stimulus package? There are complications, Nocera said.

"First you have to rebuild the grid because the one we have now is a creaky machine from the 1920s, and we keep trying to retrofit it," he said. "Then you're going to have computers trying to manage the energy, which brings up issues like security. You have to make it really secure so you don't have people hacking into things. And then politics. Just wait until you try to run power lines through someone's backyard.

"I can't imagine anything more secure than generating my own energy with the sun at my house, and now I'll have a way to store it. It's the ultimate in security, and the ultimate in control."

With small-scale electrical generation taking place at millions of individual homes -- as opposed to today's large-scale power generation from a handful of giant power plants -- there would be less worry about what's called "point failure" on the grid. That's when a single component gets knocked out and shuts off power to a whole region. California-style rolling blackouts would be history.

The threat of terrorism has heightened the worry. But wide distribution of batteries in homes would virtually eliminate it.

***

Inside Ceramatec's wonder battery is a chunk of solid sodium metal mated to a sulphur compound by an extraordinary, paper-thin ceramic membrane. The membrane conducts ions -- electrically charged particles -- back and forth to generate a current. The company calculates that the battery will cram 20 to 40 kilowatt hours of energy into a package about the size of a refrigerator, and operate below 90 degrees C.

This may not startle you, but it should. It's amazing. The most energy-dense batteries available today are huge bottles of super-hot molten sodium, swirling around at 600 degrees or so. At that temperature the material is highly conductive of electricity but it's both toxic and corrosive. You wouldn't want your kids around one of these.

The essence of Ceramatec's breakthrough is that high energy density (a lot of juice) can be achieved safely at normal temperatures and with solid components, not hot liquid.

Ceramatec says its new generation of battery would deliver a continuous flow of 5 kilowatts of electricity over four hours, with 3,650 daily discharge/recharge cycles over 10 years. With the batteries expected to sell in the neighborhood of $2,000, that translates to less than 3 cents per kilowatt hour over the battery's life. Conventional power from the grid typically costs in the neighborhood of 8 cents per kilowatt hour.

Re-read that last paragraph and let the information really sink in. Five kilowatts over four hours -- how much is that? Imagine your trash compactor, food processor, vacuum cleaner, stereo, sewing machine, one surface unit of an electric range and thirty-three 60-watt light bulbs all running nonstop for four hours each day before the house battery runs out. That's a pretty exciting place to live.

And then you recharge. With a projected 3,650 discharge/recharge cycles -- one per day for a decade -- you leave the next-best battery in the dust. Deep-cycling lead/acid batteries like the ones used in RVs are only good for a few hundred cycles, so they're kaput in a year or so.

How do you recharge? By tapping your solar panels or windmills. It's just like plugging in your cell phone or iPod, only you plug in your house.

A small three-bedroom home in Provo might average, say, 18 kWh of electric consumption per day in the summer -- that's 1,000 watts for 18 hours. A much larger home, say five bedrooms in the Grandview area, might average 80 kWh, according to Provo Power.;Either way, a supplement of 20 to 40 kWh per day is substantial. If you could produce that much power in a day -- for example through solar cells on the roof -- your power bills would plummet.

Ceramatec's battery breakthrough now makes that possible.

Clyde Shepherd of Alpine is floored by the prospect. He recently installed the second of two windmills on his property that are each rated at 2.4 kilowatts continuous output. He's searching for a battery system that can capture and store some of that for later use when it's calm outside, but he hasn't found a good solution.

"This changes the whole scope of things and would have a major impact on what we're trying to do," Shepherd said. "Something that would provide 20 kilowatts would put us near 100 percent of what we would need to be completely independent. It would save literally thousands of dollars a year."

Shepherd is connected to the grid through Rocky Mountain Power, which charges a variable rate for power depending on demand during a given 24-hour period. With his windmill setup, Shepherd has what's called "net metering" -- an electric meter that spins both ways. He pays for electricity coming in, but gets a credit from Rocky Mountain for any excess power generated by his windmills that flows back onto the grid. Already, he's cut his power bills in half, and with good storage batteries he thinks he could reduce the bill to zero.

While Shepherd opted for windmills over solar at the time he was planning his alternative energy installation, he said he would reconsider that decision today as the bottom continues to fall out of the cost of solar cells.

"Batteries and PV are about to merge," said MIT's Nocera, using the shorthand for "photovoltaics" or solar power. "First Solar is now saying that it takes $1 a peak watt to manufacture, and another 80 cents for installation. So they're saying that you can get PV for under $2 a watt. That's a reduction of cost by a factor of four. Only a few years ago, it was $8. If CoorsTek and Ceramatec come up with a good battery, the market will develop quickly."

The long-term impact of home electric generation for a power company's business model could be huge. After all, you can't stay in business if nobody's paying for power. Exactly how that will play out remains to be seen.

***

Fifty miles south of Ceramatec's laboratories, Chris Cannon, the former congressman from Utah County, is on a crusade to transform the world through technology. He currently sits on Ceramatec's advisory board with Nocera. No longer burdened by the pressures of Washington, he's using his experience in energy, manufacturing and government to carry the message of innovation and help move research to reality.

"What I choose to concentrate on now are things that will make the world a better place," Cannon said, "and Utah is an incredibly good place to do that."

Approached by Ceramatec after he left Congress, Cannon fills a complementary role in a group of smart engineers and academic types. With extensive Washington contacts and an understanding of the inner workings of power generation, he hopes to be able to make connections that will push the new battery technology forward for the benefit of the country.

"I have an energy and manufacturing background, so I understand the process," he said. "Ceramatec had a gap in their experience which I think I filled pretty well." On top of that, there was "good chemistry" from the start.

While Cannon's six terms in Congress representing what is arguably the most conservative district in America means keeping a somewhat jaundiced eye on the Obama administration, he's far from negative. He thinks of himself as a "post-partisan Republican" willing to run with good ideas regardless of their source. And when it comes to energy policy, he's anything but discouraged.

"If you look at the president, he inherited some really difficult things," Cannon said. "But he hired a guy to be the secretary of energy who is a scientist. And we are on the verge of so many scientific breakthroughs that no matter what the president's ideology is, if we do the right thing scientifically, America is going to do well. Many of the innovations that are coming out of Utah that I'm involved with are likely to be really important, regardless of the leadership."

Last month, Obama introduced a raft of broad energy proposals that were sharply criticized by conservatives as economic back-breakers. Proponents hailed the plans as progressive. Either way the administration appears to be on a path that could soon drive the cost of conventional energy higher -- some say as much as double. Electrical generation at home using solar panels, coupled with storage in effective batteries, could soften the financial impact on many homeowners' utility costs.

The new Ceramatec battery could also change the way private enterprises invest in energy, Cannon said. Instead of building another power plant, for example, maybe they buy 100,000 or a million batteries and distribute those around the service area of a utility to reduce loads and eliminate expensive "spinning reserve," the supplementary power generation that's fired up in response to daily spikes in electric demand.

"The technology could mean a lot of things," Cannon said, "but it certainly means that we change the way we invest. It also means that we shift our expenditures on terrorism, because our infrastructure for power transmission is probably the weakest link in America today. If you have local batteries with local control, that gives terrorists a more difficult target. And local control systems are much simpler than a vast national transmission grid."

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/article_b0372fd8-3f3c-11de-ac77-001cc4c002e0.html

Hope is Blowing in the wind for British Columbia

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:46:07 +0100

Hope is blowing in the wind for British Columbia

BY TZEPORAH BERMAN, SPECIAL TO THE SUNAUGUST 12, 2009COMMENTS (36)

Standing under the mesmerizing blades of the new wind energy park up at Dawson Creek last week was a moment to celebrate: The gentle giants at British Columbia's first wind farm are now feeding clean electricity onto the grid.

The most striking thing about the new wind farm is how utterly normal it all seems. Looking out over Mike's Steak House to the ridge in the distance, the wind park is simply a quiet symbol of hope in a world addicted to fossil fuels.

I also couldn't help but think: frankly it's about time. Given all the chatter about B.C.'s climate leadership, you would think windmills and solar panels would be as common as in Germany.

We're often lulled into thinking we're "green" because of the big hydro dams built by previous generations. But three-quarters of the energy used in B.C. -- to move us around, heat our homes and run our economy -- still comes from fossil fuels. And whether B.C. will catch up to our neighbours is now in question since the regulators, government and BC Hydro are tangled in a quasi-judicial conflict at the BC Utilities Commission. Will future clean energy projects get bogged down in a swamp of legal-sized paper?

We really can't allow that to happen. With record temperatures and fires raging, British Columbians are seeing the dangers of a hotter planet first hand. The blanket of heat trapping gases already in the atmosphere means we've only seen the beginning. It is imperative that we do our part to eliminate fossil fuels as quickly as possible.

We are among the luckiest people on the planet and B.C. has enviable advantages. With the base load power from the big hydro dams backing up a modern renewable grid, B.C. can build a model for a fossil fuel-free world. It will take aggressive action by government, the private sector and all British Columbians to promote efficiency, clean energy and switch off fossil fuels by deploying technologies like electric transit and vehicles.

Similarly, our federal representatives need pressure. Canada has become known as one of the "bad boys" of international climate negotiations and Ottawa is allowing incentives for renewable power to run dry. The next climate negotiations are coming up this December in Copenhagen.

A clean energy economy is within our grasp, but it needs focus. The Obama administration is outspending Canada 14-1 (per capita) in its green jobs surge towards a new energy economy. The Europeans are out ahead. And now China, South Korea and other Asian nations have joined the clean energy race in a massive way.

It's not as widely known as it should be that B.C. has some of the most innovative and promising clean-tech companies in the world. We can make massive cuts in our energy consumption. We can green buildings and urban planning. We can take our homes and factories and transportation off fossil fuels. There is reason for hope but no time to waste.

And we have our own contradictions to deal with. Ramping up fossil fuel production in the North is a huge source of carbon emissions. We are still mining and exporting coal. And we should not even be considering pipelines from the tar sands to tanker ports on our west coast.

Instead we can focus on using energy much more wisely. I know this sounds dull but it is hugely important and the gains are impossible without public acceptance of conservation policies -- through voluntary programs, sure, but we also need to support changes to our cities, more dynamic pricing and harnessing the potential of a "smart" grid. And legislation like Japan's "top-runner" law, where the most inefficient products are regularly removed from the market, driving companies to be ever more efficient.

The transition off fossil fuels also requires effort and acceptance from all of us. We can match legislation like Ontario's new Green Energy Act to spur clean energy development. We can demand that our governments impose ever stricter caps on carbon pollution as well as constantly stricter mandates on buildings and vehicles.

Did you know that China has stricter vehicle standards than the new ones proposed for Canada? Or that Warren Buffet is betting his fortune on electric cars made in China? Clearly we can raise our game.

British Columbians can be justifiably proud that our province broke the Canadian logjam of inaction on global warming and clean energy. But we shouldn't underestimate the scale of the challenge ahead. It is time for a renewed leadership effort.

Tzeporah Berman is executive director of PowerUP Canada.

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Comment+Hope+blowing+wind+British+Columbia/1885651/story.html

Flygt Turbine Installation at Hollow Dam, Oswegatchie River, Fowler, New York

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:21:57 +0100

Hollow Dam

Business Segment:
Hydroelectric

Location:
On the West Branch of the Oswegatchie River in the Town of Fowler, New York

Installed Capacity:
900 kilowatts (2 x 450kw submersible ITT Flygt (EAML) Turbines)

The Hollow Dam Facility is located on the West Branch of the Oswegatchie River in the Town of Fowler, New York, approximately 16 kilometres south of Gouverneur, New York. The facility is rated at 900 kilowatts. The facility was constructed in 1987 and is located at an existing dam of 100 metres in length and includes a 70 metre spillway. The facility is equipped with two submersible ITT Flygt (EAML) turbine/generators, each capable of generating 450 kilowatts.

Ontario's New Green Energy Act

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:05:08 +0100

Ontario’s new green energy act

New legislation removes barriers to the development of renewable energy

Publish date: Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The days of burning through financing while waiting for renewable energy project approvals are about to fade into the past. If enacted, Ontario’s proposed Bill 150, the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009 (the Act), will remove the barriers to investing in the province’s renewable energy sector. The result? Growth of a robust green economy that puts Ontario on a leadership path for investment in renewable energy. While regulations won’t be in place until summer 2009, investors, project developers and other industry players must act now if they hope to identify the most lucrative investment opportunities. Getting on the fast track can maximize your success in Ontario’s new business landscape. Here’s how the new Act will help:

Get to market faster
To date, investors in renewable energy projects had to deal with multiple provincial and municipal authorities to get permits indicating compliance with a wide array of regulations and by-laws. With the new streamlined approval process, the Act will create a “one stop shop” for all necessary permits, allowing you to bring projects to market faster. The Honourable George Smitherman, Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure plans to implement a six-month service guarantee for renewable project approvals, compared to current waiting times in excess of one year.

Creative coaching
In addition to shortening the approval process, the new Act will connect investors with a Renewable Energy Facilitator to guide them through project development – eliminating complexity and confusion along the way.

Full speed ahead
Administrative complexity is not the only barrier the Act will remove. New Planning Actexemptions also help investors build renewable energy generation facilities and engage in other renewable energy projects despite municipal zoning by-laws that may otherwise prohibit development. This will overcome potential municipal obstacles to some projects.

Realize revenue certainty
To make it easier for developers to complete proposals, a feed-in tariff program will mandate standard contracts and pricing for renewable energy project developers. This helps developers avoid costly and time-consuming proposal processes, and pricing certainty delivers revenue certainty, positioning investors to gain greater access to financing.

A direct connection
The Act also promises to replace the current “first come, first served” approach to electrical grid connections. Instead, distributors and transmitters will be required to offer a priority connection for all renewable generation projects that meet Ontario's first Green Energy Act and Ontario Energy Board (OEB) requirements. With set time limits for these connections, investors can limit the financial exposure they currently face while waiting to be hooked up.

Build your power base
To realize first mover advantage in this rapidly evolving environment, investors, developers and corporate executives should identify optimal investment opportunities. Areas of particular interest include smart grid investing and smart metering, along with more conventional renewable energy projects. Municipalities also stand to benefit with new rules that allow them to own and operate certain renewable energy facilities.

As an added advantage, the province plans to provide grants and loans on favourable terms to encourage renewable energy projects. You need to lay the groundwork to access this capital, and take advantage of other tax and funding incentives. With the Act set to go into force in the next few months, you have no time to lose. Deloitte can help you develop a tax-effective investment structure, gain access to capital, identify the most lucrative investment opportunities and help in determining a predictable return on your investment.

http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_CA/ca/services/financialadvisory/article/2fc8bf29bfff0210VgnVCM100000ba42f00aRCRD.htm

Green Energy Act 2009 (GEA): Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MEI)

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 01:56:41 +0100

The Green Energy Act: A Vision for the Future

Ontario’s Green Energy Act (GEA), and related amendments to other legislation, received Royal Assent on May 14, 2009. Work is now underway across government to develop the regulations and other tools needed to fully implement the legislation. As these are developed, the various schedules and other elements making up the GEA will be proclaimed. Check this website periodically for updates.

The landmark Green Energy Act will boost investment in renewable energy projects and increase conservation, creating green jobs and economic growth to Ontario.

This legislation is part of Ontario’s plan to become a leading green economy in North America.

The GEA will :

· Spark growth in clean and renewable sources of energy such as wind, solar, hydro, biomass and biogas in Ontario.

· Create the potential for savings and better managed household energy expenditures through a series of conservation measures.

· Create 50,000 jobs for Ontarians in its first three years.

“Our ambition is to increase the standard of living and quality of life for all Ontario’s families. That is best achieved by creating the conditions for green economic growth.”
George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.

http://www.mei.gov.on.ca.wsd6.korax.net/english/energy/gea/

Green Energy Act (GEA): OPA Feed-In-Tariff Program

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 01:50:14 +0100

The Green Energy Act, 2009 (GEA) was introduced to the Ontario Legislature on February 23, 2009. It includes a proposal for a new renewable energy program known as a Feed-in Tariff (FIT) Program designed to further encourage the development of renewable energy supply.

Ontario's Proposed Feed-in Tariff Program Highlights

Objectives of the FIT Program:

· Increase capacity of renewable energy supply to ensure adequate generation and reduce emissions

· Simpler method to procure and develop generation

· Create new green industries through new investment and job creation

· Provide incentives for investment in renewable energy technologies

The program will be open to various renewable energy supply technologies (i.e., wind, hydro, solar and bioenergy technologies). It will provide opportunities for promoting First Nations, Métis and community-based projects.

http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/FIT/

How Hydropower Works: Canadian Hydropower Association

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:34:41 +0100

How Hydro Works

Hydropower converts the natural flow of water into electricity to light our homes and power our industries. The energy is produced by the fall of water turning the blades of a turbine. The turbine is connected to a generator that converts the energy into electricity.

The amount of electricity a hydropower installation can produce depends on the quantity of water passing through a turbine (the volume of water flow) or on the height from which the water falls (the amount of head). The greater the flow and the head, the more electricity produced.

There are different types and sizes of hydropower installations in Canada, ranging from micro hydro plants that provide electricity to only a few homes to mega installations, like Churchill Falls in Labrador, which produces enough power to light three cities the size of Montreal.

Some hydropower facilities include dams to increase the head of a waterfall or to control the flow of water, and reservoirs to store the water for future energy use (storage dam), while others produce electricity by immediately using a river's water flow (run-of-river). Some hydropower plants also use pumped storage systems, which store the water for reuse in the production of electricity during periods of high demand.

Hydropower is unique among energy sources for its operational flexibility. If there is an increased electricity demand, a hydropower plant can respond almost immediately by releasing more water. On the other hand, when the demand is low, a hydropower plant can reserve the water for future requirements. Hydropower can also supplement other forms of renewable energy such as wind or solar power.

http://www.canhydropower.org/hydro_e/p_hyd_b.htm

Renewable Energy" Ontario Waterpower Association

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:30:34 +0100

Renewable Energy

Waterpower: Ontario's primary source of renewable energy

Today, Ontario's waterpower resources comprise about 26% of the province's energy supply-with an installed capacity of 8,150 Megawatts. Nuclear power accounts for 41%, fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil) for 32%, and other renewables (wind, solar etc.) for 1%.

An Energy-efficient Source of Electricity

The average facility converts energy to electric energy at a rate of between 75% and 95%.
A typical waterpower generating facility has a long life cycle of between 75 and 100 years.
The average energy payback ratio (energy required vs. energy produced) is by far the highest among all sources.
Relative to other sources, the production of waterpower could be considered a form of energy conservation.

A Province Rich in Water Resources

Ontario has more than 250,000 lakes and tens of thousands of kilometres of rivers and streams.
About 50 systems support all of Ontario's waterpower production. Fewer than a dozen account for more than eighty percent.
Niagara Falls comprises almost a quarter of the installed capacity.
Waterpower facilities are located within 10 km of every major town and all cities in north-western Ontario.

Realizing the Potential for Clean, Renewable Waterpower

An inventory of waterpower potential in Ontario identified 2,000 sites with basic hydraulic conditions (regularly flowing water and change in elevation) to produce waterpower energy.
Just 200 sites have been developed in the last century.
Distance to the transmission grid, other natural resource values, and the demand for renewable energy are important factors in realizing waterpower potential.

Sustainable Energy: an Asset for the Future

Like other natural resources, Ontario's waterpower resources must be managed and developed to meet present needs and anticipate the requirements of future generations.
The waterpower potential that remains in Ontario should be treated as an asset that can continue to contribute energy, now and in the future.
Acknowledging and protecting this potential will increase our energy options for the future.

http://www.owa.ca/renew.html

Renewable Energy Act: Green Energy Act of Ontario

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:19:23 +0100

Ontario Green Energy Act

In 2006, Premier McGuinty set a precedent in North America by introducing the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program - the most progressive green energy initiative in more than twenty years.

In that same year the Ontario Power Authority began work on the Integrated Power System Plan – a 20-year plan that will determine how Ontario’s electricity system will evolve.

A great start. But not enough to get us where we need to go.

We need the Ontario Green Energy Act to propel Ontario into a leadership position in renewable energy, to reduce our pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, to create meaningful jobs for Ontarians and to enhance community economic development for rural, remote and First Nations communities.

Ontario Bill 150, Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009

Bill 150 was tabled at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on February 23, 2009 and passed into law on May 14, 2009.

Official Liberal Party of Ontario Website for Ontario's Green Energy Act

Ontario's governing Liberal party has created a website providing explanation and information on their proposed Green Energy Act. Find it here.

Green Energy Act Introduction Testimonials - February 2009

Read what's being said about the tabling of the Green Energy Act by the Government of Ontario.

Green Energy Act Executive Summary

The Ontario Green Energy Act will make Ontario a global leader in the development of renewable energy, clean distributed energy and conservation - creating thousands of jobs, economic prosperity, energy security, and climate protection.

Proposed Green Energy Act

On December 10th at Queens Park in Toronto, a proposed draft of the Ontario green energy act was released titled: "An Act Granting Priority to Renewable Energy Sources to Manage Global Climate Change, Protect the Environment and Streamline Project Approvals". The draft will be under constant revision so please read it and send us your feedback.

Core Components of the Green Energy Act

The ten key points that define the goals of the Ontario Green Energy Act.

Sustainable energy unplugged: Making the connection

Getting connected to the electricity grid is proving a formidable problem for sustainable energy generators. A green energy act would oblige utilities to connect renewable energy.

Beyond the RESOP and the IPSP

Ontario’s Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program (RESOP) was the most progressive green energy initiative in North America for more than twenty years.

http://www.greenenergyact.ca/Page.asp?PageID=1224&SiteNodeID=202&BL_ExpandID=44