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: 1193

▶ 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 one company is reducing agricultural waste on Earth Day

As the world celebrates Earth Day on Monday, one agriculture organization is reflecting on the work it accomplished in 2023. According to a release from CleanFarms, a non-profit group that ensures farmers actively contribute to a healthy environment, the agriculture industry used many recycling and safe disposal programs for agricultural plastics and packaging last year, and there’s certainly an appetite for more solutions in the future. One example that CleanFarms offers is AgriRÉCUP in Quebec, which operated four permanent collection programs and two pilot programs in the province that captured pesticide and fertilizer containers, plastics for hay and silage protection and seed, and pesticide and fertilizer bags. “We’re thrilled to have seen so much expansion in our programs last year,” said Barry Friesen, executive director of Cleanfarms. “Earth Day encourages us to acknowledge the important work we get to do on behalf of our members, with farmers, first sellers, ag retailers, an

More incentive for grads to consider agriculture-focused vet career

On any given day, Prince Albert, SK veterinarian Peter Surkan sees roughly 40 patients, but for every patient he sees, there are dozens more waiting. To accommodate all of the clients in the area, Surkan said there needs to be more vets, especially in smaller, rural communities. His practice in Prince Albert only has three full and part-time veterinarians, compared to 10 vets a decade ago. On Friday, the province announced $13.2 million in funding to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) in 2024-25, representing a $667,000 increase over last year. The money will partially subsidize 25 training seats for Saskatchewan students. “We continue to see a rising demand for veterinary services in the province and they are a key support for our growing economy,” Advanced Education Minister Gordon Wyant said in a press release. “This is a priority investment for Advanced Education that supports the continued implementation with five new seats, bringing the total now to 25 seats, t

Squeal on Pigs Manitoba receives new Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership funding

Manitoba Pork, in partnership with the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba, and in collaboration with Manitoba’s agricultural sector, is pleased to announce that the Squeal on Pigs Manitoba initiative will receive over $2.6 million over the next four years to further the work of tracking and removing wild pigs from Manitoba’s landscape. “Wild pigs continue to thrive across Manitoba and are vectors for many diseases that have a devastating impact on both domestic pigs as well as other animals,” said Dr. Wayne Lees, project coordinator, Squeal on Pigs Manitoba. “Together with our partners in both the provincial and federal governments, as well as Manitoba’s agricultural sector and stakeholders across the province, this new funding will allow us to further our efforts to track, trap, and remove wild pigs from the landscape and protect our province.” The goal of the Squeal on Pigs campaign is to identify where wild pigs are in Manitoba, control their spread, and remove as m

Another year of guaranteed financial return for CRSB Certified beef producers from Cargill, its supply chain partners and the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef

The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) has once again partnered with Cargill and its customers – Centennial Food Solutions, Gordon Food Service, Intercity Packers, MacGregors Meat & Seafood, McDonald’s Canada, Metro, Recipe Unlimited and Walmart – to provide up to $400 CAD for beef producers maintaining their CRSB Certification. This credit will be provided for another year to “fill the gap” for Canadian beef producers who have made the upfront investment of becomingCRSB Certified but did not receive at least $400 CACargill Certification Credit USE D in financial return for qualifying cattle processed in 2023 as part of the existing Qualifying Cattle Credits  I would like to extend my sincere thanks to these organizations for supporting the CRSB Certified program for another year. In 2024, CRSB will prioritize identifying long-term solutions to ensure certification provides financial value and enduring benefit to producer participation,” said Ryan Beierbach, Chair of the

Competition Bureau Raises Concerns with Bunge-Viterra Merger

The Competition Bureau has thrown some cold water on the proposed Viterra-Bunge merger. 

© 2024   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service