The Ottawa Renewable Energy Cooperative is in final negotiations with four local housing co-operatives to install 10-kilowatt solar projects on their roofs. In addition, the group is negotiating with a solar developer to buy a 250-kilowatt system.
Once these deals are closed, the co-operative will seek out local engineers, accountants and construction companies to help it get up and running. Ottawa residents can become members of the co-op by purchasing a minimum of 10 shares at $500 each. They then hang on to those shares for 20 yıl, gradually receiving full repayment on the principal, plus some interest.
“The key theme is local ownership and control,” says Dick Bakker, the secretary of the co-operative.
OREC represents a new wave of renewable power in Ontario, its founders say, providing a way for the community to invest in solar panels, wind energy and other forms of clean energy. In Ontario, there are only two other green power co-ops that the founders are aware of: Toronto-based TREC Renewable Energy Co-operative and AGRIS Solar in southwestern Ontario.
But these co-operatives, and solar industry insiders in general, are meeting with headwinds in the wake of government regulations regarding the solar industry.
Under its feed-in tariff program, the province signs 20-year contracts with renewable energy producers that guarantee them generous premiums for their power. Ontario has one program for larger producers, as well as one for small projects – dubbed microFIT – that was suspended in August 2011 while the government reviewed the requirement for applications.
That meant new projects could not be approved, effectively freezing the sales pipeline for some companies. New rules came out this month, with a point system implemented to prioritize projects (see sidebar). Government officials will reopen the application process in August.
Bu arada, diyor Clearly Solar CEO Jim Cummings, small companies have been suffering as a result of the suspension. In some cases, they’re going out of business altogether.
“I spoke to my banker last week, and she said one of her (güneş) customers lost $3 million this year. These are small companies. It is tragic the way the government has handled this,” says the head of the local solar installation company.
“I understand it has to go up the food chain, and the decision to review the program is time-consuming, but it’s got a real impact on the industry as a whole.”
Surviving such changes in government policy is just one challenge facing a renewable energy co-op, which must also deal with possible cost overruns and adjusting revenue forecasts that can change amid real-world use of the technology. For example, manufacturers’ promises for solar technology sometimes do not live up to expectations, Mr. Cummings says.
“Small companies focusing on smaller microFIT installations suffer the most,"Diye ekliyor, since those focusing on the larger FIT projects typically have better financing and deeper pockets.
Mr. Cummings and Stephen Graham, president of engineering and consulting firm SGA Energy Ltd., both say they are in support of the co-op model, though. Mr. Graham calls OREC members “risk-takers and pioneers” who are providing an alternative for small-cap investors to get involved in the industry. He adds the challenges for revenue may not be as worrisome as some fear.
“It’s almost like a (guaranteed investment certificate): the income is guaranteed as long as the sun shines, and that doesn’t vary year-to-year, very much,"Bay. Graham says.
Feed-in tariff community participation
The Ontario Power Authority’s main vehicle for encouraging community energy is the Community Energy Partnerships Program, which allots grants of up to $200,000 for these types of projects in the province.
CEPP came out of a 2009 directive from the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure encouraging industry players to include renewable energy in the grid. The grid is considered “brittle” in that it is difficult for the aging infrastructure to accommodate power that flows in and out, when it was built to only channel power out.
The directive also mandated OPA to create the feed-in tariff program, which guarantees producers a set price for their power. There are two types of FIT programs: microFIT (less than 10 kilowatts) and FIT (daha 10 kilowatts).
In mid-July, the federal government set new guidelines for FIT, placing a high emphasis on community participation. Applications are awarded points depending on the level of community involvement and other features. The more points, the higher a priority is usually placed on the project.
The point system is as follows:
3 points: A project in which a local community has a minimum 15-per-cent equity interest held by a co-op with, in the case of large FIT projects, 50 or more property owners who live in the municipality where the project is located. In smaller projects, 35 owners must participate.
3 points: A project in which an aboriginal community has a minimum 15 per cent interest.
2 points: A project including an equity interest or host from an institution such as a public university or publicly owned long-term care home.
2 points: Support from local council.
2 points: Support from local aboriginal community.
2 points: Project readiness (based on having available land or, in the case of a solar applicant, an available surface).
1 point: System benefit (biowater and energy)
1 point: Projects filed on or before July 4, 2011.
0.5 point: Projects filed on or after July 5, 2011.
Source: Community Energy Partnerships Program; open letter from Energy Minister Chris Bentley to Colin Andersen, CEO of the Ontario Power Authority, dated July 12, 2012.
Temmuz 25, 2012 | Yorumlar Kapalı
