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: 377

▶ 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

Minister MacDonald sets the stage ahead of NPF meetings

Ministers and other stakeholders are in Halifax this week

Farm Management Canada launches Canada’s Young Farmers

The platform is designed to support and amplify the next generation of Canadian ag leaders

Watch for the development of Sclerotinia stem rot in canola

Information is OFFERED TO THE PUBLIC FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Environment Canada, and their employees assume no liability from the use of this information.   June surface soil moisture conditions indicate that much of the Prairie canola growing region currently has sufficient soil moisture to support germination of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum sclerotia (Fig. 1). Cumulative rainfall from May 30 – June 28 was the highest in the Edmonton, Lethbridge, Winnipeg areas, and lowest in northern Saskatchewan and the Peace River area of Alberta (Fig. 2). When rainfall over the whole growing season (April 1 – June 28) was considered, the Edmonton area was much higher than average (Fig. 3). Recent heavy rains across the Prairies have significantly increased these amounts. Temperature over the May 30 – June 28 period was highest in southern Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan and lowest in western Alberta (Fig. 4). For the whole growing season temperatures have

Table Beet Harvest has Begun

Ontario's 2026 fresh beet harvest is underway with a positive outlook and steady supply, reinforcing the province's position as Canada's leading producer of this resilient crop.

Cereal rust risk report April 1 to June 29 2026 stripe rust reported in Alberta and eastern Canada along with leaf and stem rust in eastern Canada

Stripe rust development in Alberta There are reports of stripe rust developing in Alberta, though at low levels to date. The wheat crop is maturing in the Pacific Northwest and will decline as a source of inoculum as it is harvested. The spread and development of stripe rust in Alberta now depends more on weather and crop conditions within the province going forward. No rust reports to date in Saskatchewan and Manitoba Cereal crops in the southern US states have nearly been harvested and were affected severely by drought this crop season. Spring cereals in the northern states are still developing but there are no reports to date of rust infection in these northern states. Crop development in many parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba is delayed relative to normal, and frequent and heavy rains raise the risk of disease development in all crops. To date though there have been no reports of rust development in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Cereal rusts reported in eastern Canada Colleagues

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service