Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Solar Prices Drop -- Blood Pressure Rises

The Ontario government is changing the price they will pay for solar power -- here's what they have to say....

"To help ensure the program remains sustainable the OPA has proposed a new price category for microFIT ground-mounted solar PV projects. Ground-mounted solar PV
projects of 10 kilowatts or less will be eligible to receive a proposed price of
58.8 cents per kilowatt-hour (¢/kWh). Rooftop solar PV projects, as defined in
the microFIT Rules, version 1.4, will continue to be eligible for 80.2 ¢/kWh.


The proposed new price category will better reflect the lower costs to install a ground-mounted solar PV project versus a rooftop project. It will provide a
price that enables future project owners to recover costs of the projects as
well as earn a reasonable return on their investment over the long term."

The business side of me is actually pretty angry with the move. We are getting ready to file an application - taking the cautious approach. Making sure to comb over a number of deals to make sure when we lock into 20 years -- we don't get the short end of the stick. Now - because we have taken the time to do that (which they encouraged) we are out over 20 cents. After all they said the price wouldn't change until October 2011.

That said - I couldn't figure out how they were going to pay 80 cents to begin with. Although - 58 cents is still too high.

This all makes believing what government says pretty tough to do -- doesn't it....

Views: 1321

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on July 9, 2010 at 3:40pm
A little different than the Pigeon King....the government is the customer and they distribute the electricity to consumers....we will need energy and clean energy - solar makes sense in theory. Because it is so new I think big mistakes can be made...I would rather see the government take a hit for stimulating a new industry with some extra revenue to farmers than have a lot of nice farmers get whacked financially because the Ont Govt thought they were overpaying for clean energy...
Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on July 14, 2010 at 2:34pm
Looks like OFA is going to fight this change in price....


OFA: Government Can't Rewrite the Deal.

By Paul Wettlaufer, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Faced with a 27 per cent cut in price on a contract with the Ontario Government for the production of green energy, Ontario farmers question the management of the program and the intent of the government on green energy.

When the government announced its plans to promote and use green energy, farmers lined up to produce solar energy. Then, without warning, the government announced changes to the deal already signed.

Government developed a green energy incentive for ground mount solar and quoted a reasonable price, farmers penciled it out and signed up, leading the way in Ontario's green energy revolution.

For reasons that make no sense whatsoever, the government on July 2 announced it was withdrawing its offer and substituting a lower price. Thousands of hours of research, work with banks, work with contractors, is all for naught for approx 11,000 applicants.

The price was right and now its not.

Not only is this a serious blow to farmers who were willing to make this investment but it could be the death knell for the green economy.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture will be lobbying the province to ‘grandfather’ all applications submitted up to July 2 for the original quoted price.

Our members have made significant investments in solar infrastructure based on the deal they thought they had with the province. A 27 per cent cut in the price paid for that energy will mean an unacceptable loss.

Honoring the price offered to the applicants who have already made significant investments can be the only accepted outcome.

This is not only devastating to farmers, it jeopardizes the futures of green energy manufacturers.

Cancelled projects will mean lost investment from farmers and loss of future sales of solar equipment.

With this change Ontario will lose millions of dollars in new manufacturing opportunities; lose hundreds of manufacturing jobs; municipalities will forego

millions of dollars in tax revenue; and once again Ontario’s rural economy suffers a "gut shot".

This has shaken the confidence of rural Ontario and investors everywhere.

What's the next rug that will be pulled out from under us on the green energy file?

The designers of the deal understood the economic benefits and spinoffs in jump starting the green economy. The ones trying to tear it down need to recognize the economic damage.

We will be calling on all OFA members to contact their MPPs. We will seek their support of our plan to grandfather the originally-stated rate into all applications submitted up to July 2, 2010.

Farmers have shown good faith and leadership with their involvement in the green energy industry. Now is not a good time for the government to start rewriting the deals.
Permalink Reply by Joe Dales on July 21, 2010 at 2:05am
Ontario Solar Network is planning a townhall meeting to discuss what can be done about the price changes etc..

Here is the link from the OntAg Events Calendar.

Joe

http://ontag.farms.com/events/ontario-solar-network-to

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

How University of Iowa dropouts built a global ag tech company

Matthew Rooda began working in the swine industry at a young age. First, he helped his grandfather on a family farm, and later he worked with his father, who managed a commercial farm in Iowa. When it was time for college, he enrolled at the University of Iowa with plans to study genetics and biotechnology, and eventually planned to go to medical school to become an obstetrician. When Rooda met with the medical school admissions committee at the University of Iowa, he was told that he had to be different to stand out. He thought back to the experiences he had working on farms. Rooda told the committee he had experience with vaccinations, birthing assistance and management on farms. “They said, ‘That's exactly what we're looking for,’” he said. His junior and senior years of college, Rooda worked at nursing homes and he noticed more connections between farming and health care. He saw how nursing homes used technology and management practices to weed out inefficiencies in their car

MU Extension tackles persistent labor shortages in hog production

University of Missouri Extension specialists are working with the swine industry and temporary visa holders to help recruit, retain and develop agriculture professionals needed to address ongoing farm labor shortages. The TN visa program was established in 1994 under the North American Free Trade Agreement. The “TN” designation, short for Treaty NAFTA, refers to a professional nonimmigrant classification now governed by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. TN visas allow U.S. employers to hire specialized agriculture professionals from Mexico and Canada. Unlike programs such as H-2A, which focus on seasonal farm labor, the TN visa program supports year-round professional positions. That’s an important advantage for swine operations that require consistent staffing, says Magdiel Lopez, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension who leads the project funded through checkoff dollars from the National Pork Board. TN visa holders typically meet specific educationa

Swine fever deaths surge in Spain amid fears of new virus strain

Spain has recorded a surge in the deadly African swine fever sweeping Catalonia as authorities bring in drones and helicopters to help contain the outbreak. The region’s department of agriculture announced on Monday that a further 18 wild boar have died from the highly contagious disease near Cerdanyola del Valles, bringing the tally up to a total of 47. The ministry said that the rise was due to wider testing in hard-to-reach areas, explored by air over the Christmas holidays. It emphasised that it was an “accumulation” of cases reported, and not a “sudden” spike. Spain ramped up containment efforts in December, bringing in sniffer dogs and the military to help track the spread. More than 620 boars have been analysed in recent weeks, with around eight per cent testing positive for the virus. Researchers believe the ‘Bellaterra’ variant could be a new mutation, after it failed to match with any samples held locally. The local government has downplayed the theory that it could have

Swine Innovation Porc unveils 4 Advancing Swine Research projects

Swine Innovation Porc is pleased to announce four research projects under its Advancing Swine Research Call for Proposals, a national initiative designed to strengthen the resiliency, sustainability and competitiveness of Canada’s pork sector. Supported by the Pork Promotion and Research Agency, the projects announced represent the first set of approved investments under a highly competitive, industry-guided research call. Additional approved projects will be announced as partner co-funding decisions are finalized. For the four projects announced, SIP will invest up to $488,347, mobilizing up to $1.18 million in total project funding to advance innovation across priority areas including housing systems, animal health, energy efficiency and product quality. “SIP is proud to lead this national research effort that channels research investments into meaningful, targeted impact for producers and processors,” said Mark Ferguson, chair of SIP. “This call delivered exceptional proposals fr

Pork producers address USDA's New World screwworm response

The National Pork Producers Council submitted comments on the USDA's draft response plan for a New orWld screwworm detection in the United States. NPPC's feedback addressed areas of the response including movement controls and movements to slaughter, treatment and physical examinations, among others. NWS is a flesh-eating parasite from female flies that lay eggs in wounds on warm-blooded animals, including pigs and people. According to USDA, animals that recently have given birth, suffered an injury, or had a surgical procedure such as tail docking or branding are most vulnerable. Even tick bites can attract NWS flies. The disease has moved from South America through Central America and into Mexico over the past few years, with a case recently being identified in cattle a few hundred miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. It is endemic in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and some South American countries. In May, USDA closed the U.S. southern border to imports of cattle from Mexi

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service