JXTC GENRE : DECEMBER 08 TEMPLATE

Two wind farm projects in Clarington have been given the green light by the Province of Ontario as part of its green power initiative.

The announcement that Clarington Wind Farms and ZEP Wind Farm Ganaraska in Orono have received contracts to provide wind generated power came as part of a larger announcement by the province regarding 184 projects across the province that are projected to generate nearly 2,500 megawatts (MW) of  renewable energy.

The ZEP farm has a projected capacity of 20 MW, while the Clarington Wind Farms projected capacity is listed as 10 MW.

“With this announcement, Ontario has flicked the switch on a new era of green energy prosperity,” said Dr. Rick Smith, Executive Director, Environmental Defence, a member of the Green Energy Act Alliance. “This occasion is potentially as significant for Ontario’s economic prosperity as the signing of the Auto Pact in 1965. The provincial government has served notice today that the new centre of global green investing is right here in Ontario. Ontario is the first jurisdiction in North America to adopt a feed-in-tariff and it’s working even better than we had hoped.”

The announcement included 184 projects throughout Ontario. Of these, 76 are ground-mounted solar, 47 are onshore wind, 46 are water power, 7 are biogas, 2 are biomass, 4 are landfill, 1 is a rooftop solar project, and 1 is an offshore wind project. Significantly, 20 of the projects are spearheaded by small community groups and 16 are First Nations-led.

“Community power projects allow Ontarians to invest in and own a part of Ontario’s new green energy economy,” said Brent Kopperson, Chair, Community Power Fund. “By granting contracts to community power projects, the government has ensured the people of Ontario can directly share the financial benefits of these renewable energy investments.”

The feed-in-tariff, a key feature of the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, has seen widespread uptake to date. The government's announcement of larger projects adds to last month’s announcement of 510 medium-sized projects totaling 112 MW. 

"Investment in renewable energy on this scale, combined with the domestic content rules, should create green jobs and help get the economy going again,” said Ken Neumann, National Director for Canada, United Steelworkers.

“Ontario is the first jurisdiction in North America to demonstrate it will phase out large amounts of coal power using renewable energy, and (this) announcement shows just how quickly that can be done when you get the policy right,” said Tim Weis, Director of Renewable Energy and Efficiency for the Pembina Institute, a member of the Green Energy Act Alliance.

Wind turbine photo courtesy of Free Photo Bank