What role will renewable sources of energy play in Ontario’s energy future?
Ontario’s Green Energy Act (GEA) is intended to help Ontario become North America’s leader in renewable energy by expediting the growth of clean, renewable sources of power such as wind, solar, hydro, biomass and biogas. To that end, Ontario has launched a Feed-in Tariff program that guarantees specific rates for energy generated from renewable sources. Other steps are also being taken to facilitate the development of renewable energy including a more streamlined approvals process for qualified projects. The government has also established the Renewable Energy Facilitation Office (REFO), a one-window access point to help developers, communities and municipalities. Since October 2003, Ontario has already brought more than 1,200 megawatts of new renewable energy on-line. New renewable energy projects already in place or under construction in Ontario since 2003 represent a total investment of over $4.6 billion.
