Ontario green energy projects trump municipal objections: minister

Ontario’s energy minister understands some people are opposed to alternative electricity projects in their areas, but he says that the provincial government is committed to green energy, and these projects are going to happen.

George Smitherman made the comment Friday at an Energy Ottawa hydro generating station where he was talking up the province’s Green Energy and Economy Act, which is designed to encourage new large and small renewal electricity generating projects and create jobs.

Several projects in the city and eastern Ontario have been trying to get going, but opposition from residents and municipal land-use rules have kept many on hold.

Smitherman said when the act is passed by his government, which could happen in within three months, the social and bureaucratic road blocks are going to be removed.

“The act sends a signal that we are going to be creating the conditions that are going to allow these to happen,” Smitherman said.

Key to this, the minister said, is a provision that takes the approval process for green energy projects away from municipalities, where it currently rests, and transfers it to provincial ministries with mandates to spark a renewable energy revolution in Ontario.

This is good news for entrepreneurs and individuals who are trying to get big and small projects off the ground. They’ve had a tough time.

“It going to be fantastic for us and our landholders,” said Luke Geleynse. “The permitting process is going to be greatly streamlined. The government is committed to get these going.”

Geleynse’s company, Prowind Canada, plans to build two wind farms with five, up to 100-metre tall turbines each near North Gower, at a cost of about $50 million. The land holders are committed, but there has been opposition from people in the area, and so far, the company has been dealing with the city government, which has a less than stellar track record on such projects.

Just ask Doug Findlay.

He’s a renewable energy entrepreneur too, and he tried to get city approval to put up a small, 10-metre high wind turbine in his back yard. Some of his neighbours are fighting the project, and the city’s planning department rejected his application for a permit.

Findlay is appealing the rejection at the Ontario Municipal Board, which has power to overturn city land-use decisions. The appeal, which was scheduled for one or two days, will continue in May after three days of hearings so far, and it’s costing him thousands.

Findlay has some concerns about different parts of the act, including the rates the province is planning to pay to small producers, but he said the philosophy behind it — create more green energy — and the plan to take the approval process away from municipal government’s is sound.

“People have to think about what kind of future they want,” he said.

He said under the current financial parameters of the act, the government is offering too little for the energy created by smaller projects because, due to the risks and capital expenditures involved, these businesses need a higher profit margin to attract investment and survive.

Another project that has drawn fire is a plan for a large solar farm in the East Hawkesbury area which is being opposed by the community and local dairy farmer.

Bigger projects, due to economies of scale and larger gross profits, can get by on the rates the government is offering to purchase the electricity at, Findlay said, but for smaller projects the rate being offered is five to 10 per cent too low, which threatens the viability of many projects.

Smitherman said these concerns are being listened to, there’s time to adjust the financial arrangement before the bill is passed, and amendments are possible because the goal is to make the plan work for these entrepreneurs.

Findlay says he thinks the government is listening, and because of that, he’s taking a wait-and-see approach before passing judgement on the details of the act.

Smitherman also said people concerned about such projects in their areas and the entrepreneurs themselves are going to have clear guidelines under the act that will lessen the impact on neighbourhoods.

The plan was announced earlier this year and it has two aims: to spend up to $5 billion to encourage the growth of renewable energy; and create as many as 50,000 jobs over the next three years to help pull the Ontario economy out of the economic downturn.

The Liberal government has admitted the price of electricity will go up as more and more power is produced through green technology.

The government plan includes revamping Ontario’s electrical pipelines so that people can install wind and solar energy generators on their homes and sell excess power back to the province. It would also require home sellers to conduct an energy audit on the home they are selling.

By Jake Rupert, The Ottawa Citizen

canada.com

17 April 2009

Tags: Wind power, Wind energy

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