Coal news and updates

It was one of the most ambitious renewable energy programs in the world when it launched in 2009, committing the Canadian province to buy power from thousands of new renewable energy systems.  It was open and accessible to the average person, and it was committed to buying power only from projects that were “made in Ontario.”  And it was part of a plan to kill off coal-fired power generation by the end of 2014.

Coal’s exit is still on schedule, but the rollout of renewables has been as rough as the Canadian Rockies.

The bottom line is that the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program and its predecessors (despite facing significant threats) have jump-started renewable energy development in Ontario. The province would rank #4 and #11 for solar and wind deployment, respectively, if it were a U.S. state. It has created 31,000 jobs. 1 in 7 Ontario farmers is participating by producing renewable energy and earning a return on their investment.  Coal power is disappearing from the province in about a year.

But despite some notable achievements, the province has struggled – fighting an international legal battle over its “buy local” policy, struggling with local utilities to get projects connected, and leaving thousands of prospective power producers languishing during long program reviews.

 

 

Source: grist.org