FEED-IN TARIFF IN ONTARIO LEADS BOOM

Ontario Reaches 46 MW of Solar PV in 2009
Paul Gipe, March 5, 2010 (Wind-Works)

"The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) reports that 40 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) contracts were in commercial operation by the end of 2009. This represents about 46 MW of installed DC capacity in the industry's standard notation.

"In a few short months Ontario has become a major market for solar PV in North America. The data is contained in A Progress Report on Electricity Supply, Fourth Quarter 2009 by OPA."

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"The early fall 2009 addition of the 9.1 MW First Light project…put Ontario on the map of solar PV in North America. The SunEdison-SkyPower joint venture was soon followed by giant French utility EDF's first big solar PV project in Ontario toward the end of 2009. EDF's 23.4 MW Arnprior project within the city limits of Ottawa, Canada's capitol, pushed Ontario to the top of the solar charts."

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"With completion of one of several 10 MW projects…by year end, Ontario reached an AC capacity of 40 MW. Several more First Solar 10 MW projects are scheduled for completion in 2010…

"The solar panels are expected to generate 46 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year for the next twenty to thirty years. This is enough electricity for some 4,000 typical Ontario homes…New Brunswick will soon launch a limited feed-in tariff…And in Nova Scotia the government's interest in a program of feed-in tariffs led to the creation of Nova Scotia Sustainable Electricity Alliance…"