Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

solar panels

Is anyone concerned with this solar excitement.

 

Current prices are about 5.6 to 8 cent per KWH. The government is paying people with solar panels ect 80 cents per KWH. This seems really excessive.

 

Does this make sense? Can we expect hydro to jump that much. Why is our government taking taxes from the masses and giving it to the few? I understand the whole global warming talk and utilizing green power. Does it come down to deregulation of generators now everyone can do it instead of the people owing the generation. I am not sure this is sustainable.

 

What does everyone think of solar?

Views: 297

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Go Solar Canada on July 7, 2010 at 10:30am
If Pythagoras (cira 600BC) developed nuclear energy, we would still be watching over his waste today. Is that the legacy you want to leave.

For those that think $5 a year per family in Ontario is a lot of money maybe they should look at the debt retirement charge on your Hydro bill. This is the cost of going nuclear, How about 5 bucks a month. 60% of my bill was distribution charges, this is so high because of the great losses in bringing the energy from the power plant to your home. It costs the hydro company nothing to bring the power off of my roof or out of my back yard and into my house. The power you use is already subsidized. These subsidies go towards fat paychecks for the people who run the industry and are used to wine and dine the people who are behind the decisions to make sure great programs like the microFIT do not work, it keeps their checks fat. Why pay 10 microFITs a million dollars over 20 years when you can use that money for part of one persons bonuses for a year. Why use clean energy when we can spend billions on storing our nuclear waste. There is nothing wrong with our current technologies as long as we leave the cost of cleaning up after their use to our children. (Smog, tar sands, nuclear waste, They say if a natural gas plant blows up it will take a few blocks with it. Remember they said three mile island couldn't happen. Maybe to save money we can design a couple more reactors just like the Maple reactors that cost us millions and have been shelved by the Harper government.
Just in the almost four months my small 8 module microFIT has been running, My generation has saved 1142 lbs of carbon going into the air. How much would it cost you to remove that carbon out of the air once it has been put there by a coal plant or oil field.

Dan
Permalink Reply by Dale Ketcheson on July 7, 2010 at 3:16pm
I think anybody who thinks this current or some future Ontario government won't find a way to break these "contracts" and dramatically reduce the prices they're paying hasn't been paying attention to the way governments have been operating for the past... um... decades?

I wish people luck but my bet is that within the first 6 or 7 years of the plan, a whole lot of people will be bankrupted or severely hurt financially and a lot of panels will be on the market at firesale prices.
Permalink Reply by Wayne Black on July 8, 2010 at 2:18am
I guess the way I look at it, when on July 7, 2010 at about 11 AM Ontario Energy costs were 28 cents/kWh, I would rather the 58 or 80 cents go to Ontario residents rather than MB, QB, or US businesses. Current prices that the consumer pays is only 5 to 8 cents but demand pricing pushes that over $1/kWh at times (summer of 2008). On average the price is only 2 to 5 cents to buy but the peaks are what costs big money. For more info on demand pricing visit: http://ieso.ca
Permalink Reply by Peter Gredig on July 8, 2010 at 7:15am
Can anyone show me some solar installations that have been productive and running for 20 years? I don't have a problem with whatever the gov't wants to spend to encourage alt energy. I do have a problem investing $100,000 in solar technology that will be out of date in less than two years.
Permalink Reply by Go Solar Canada on July 8, 2010 at 10:57am
Solar is actually a fairly old technology, Einstein won a Nobel in the 1920's for his paper he wrote in the early 1900's, Bell laboratories first sold them in the 50's. There is a system that was installed in 1986 and still running. You can see it and learn more about it if you visit the Kortright Center west of the 400 just off Rutherford.
Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on July 9, 2010 at 3:33pm
Looks like the price drop is slowing down everyone who was looking at putting a solar system on their farm....I think solar could have a place but I want to business to be sound and not too expensive for consumers...

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

Canada and Mexico Strengthen Agri-food Cooperation under the 2025-2028 Action Plan

Canada's Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Heath MacDonald and the Mexico Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Julio Berdegué, met on Tuesday, October 14 to discuss bilateral relations and strengthen cooperation and trade ties between the two countries. This meeting is part of the Canada–Mexico Action Plan 2025–2028, announced on September 18, 2025, by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, through which both governments reaffirmed their commitment to advancing a dynamic bilateral agenda aimed at achieving shared objectives over the next three years. Through these actions, Canada and Mexico seek to continue strengthening their role as strategic partners in the global agri-food trade fostering a sustainable, inclusive, and growing sector that enabled agri-food trade between both countries to increase by 50% from 2018 to 2023. During the meeting, both officials emphasized the strategic importance of the Canada–Mexico

U.S. and Canadian Tractor Sales Rise in September 2025

According to recent data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), U.S. sales of agricultural tractors grew 4.1% in September 2025 compared to the year before. U.S. sales of 2-wheel-drive tractors increased 5.1% in the same period.

CJWW news reporter attending International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) conference in Kenya

Keira Miller is the Canadian representative at the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders program, where ten agricultural journalists under the age of 35 are selected to participate in two-day event prior to the main IFAJ conference. She is joined by fellow ag journalists from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Kazahkstan, Liberia and Kenya. More information on the program can be viewed here. CJWW Agriculture Director Neil Billinger spoke to Keira on Tuesday night in Kenya (early afternoon in Saskatchewan) via Microsoft Teams. The conversation covers a wide range of topics including Kenyan cuisine, seeing a zebra up close and the importance of agriculture to a country that relies heavily on domestic farmers to feed the population. The interview is below and so are some of Keira’s photos.  You can also follow her updates on the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation Facebook and Instagram pages. We will speak to Keira again on Sunday just before she departs Keny

RDAR expands grazing program to include virtual fencing

RDAR has expanded its OFCAF rotational grazing program to include virtual fencing — a GPS-based technology helping Alberta producers manage pastures, save labour, and improve sustainability with up to $75,000 in funding support. The new funding stream is designed to help cattle producers adopt “invisible fence” systems that use GPS-enabled collars and base stations to create and manage grazing zones through a computer or smartphone. The collars train livestock to recognize virtual boundaries through sound cues and, if necessary, mild corrective pulses. RDAR says the technology could make rotational grazing easier and more precise, improving soil health and biodiversity while reducing overgrazing and manual labour. Smart system with multi-advantages “Virtual fencing is more than a replacement for wire,” says Richard Hilton, Manager of Stakeholder Relations & Communications, RDAR. “It’s a smart grazing system that gives producers more control, better data, and the flexibility to move

CBRC commits $1.8 million to CDC barley breeding activities

The Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CBRC) announced today it will provide $1.8 million in funding over three years to the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Crop Development Centre (CDC), to extend the core breeding agreement and support the development of varieties with improved agronomics, disease resistance and end-use quality. The CBRC is a collaboration between the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SaskBarley), Alberta Grains and Manitoba Crop Alliance. “The keys to past success within the CDC barley breeding program have been the skilled staff, our in-house malt and molecular marker labs and the ability to evaluate large numbers of breeding lines. This CBRC funding will support these pillars moving forward,” said Dr. Curtis Pozniak (PhD), director of the Crop Development Centre.  “This renewed investment ensures Western Canadian farmers can expect new barley varieties from a world-class program, keeping barley competitive with improved yield and agronomic benef

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service