BCSEA welcomes restoration of renewable energy programs, but asks: "Is That All There Is?"
VICTORIA--The BC Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA) welcomes today's federal government announcement that funding for renewable energy programs put in place by the previous Liberal government has been unfrozen, but is underwhelmed by the announcement's scope, and searches in vain for anything new.
"The European Union's goal is that 20% of its energy should come from renewable sources by 2020 - and here we have Canada aiming for 3.4% of our electricity from new renewables by 2017," said Guy Dauncey, President of the BCSEA. "By 2017, this may account for less than 2% as conventional power production continues to grow."
The planned 4,000 MW from new renewables by 2017, announced today, is a small fraction (3.4%) of Canada's current 118,000 MW overall power production. "Canada's Clean Air Renewable Energy Coalition is calling for 12,000 MW by 2010," said Dauncey. "This government should support this goal, and set a further target of 25,000 MW from new renewables by 2017."
When the Conservatives came into power they cancelled or froze many programs, including the Wind Power Production Incentive (WPPI), designed to stimulate the production of 4,000 MW of new wind power by 2010, and the Renewable Energy Deployment Initiative (REDI), which provided 25% subsidy for solar heating systems for commercial buildings. They also froze a third Liberal program that had been planned but not yet funded - the Renewable Power Production Incentive (RPPI), designed to stimulate the production of a further 1,500 MW of power from other renewables. The new announcement merges WPPI and RPPI into one program, renaming it the ecoENERGY for Renewable Power (EERP), and spells out the inclusion of solar PV (photovoltaic), small hydro, biomass, geothermal, tidal and wave technologies in the program.
While the reinstatement of funding for these programs is very welcome, the program may not produce all the desired results. "The intention that this investment will support solar, tidal and wave technologies may be overly optimistic", said Kevin Pegg, President of Energy Alternatives Ltd, and Vice-President of the BC Sustainable Energy Association. "One cent for wind is helpful, but one cent per kilowatt hour for solar PV will do very little to encourage the market. In Ontario, by contrast, the provincial government pays 42 cents per kilowatt hour for solar."
Ontario's new incentive system, designed to promote new, green electrical generation (known as the Standard Offer Program), pays 11 cents per kilowatt hour to wind, hydro and biomass powered systems under 10 MW, which is an effective support of 5 cents per kilowatt hour more than the base price paid for electricity
The BCSEA also welcomes the investment of $36 million for solar heating systems, since this restores the Renewable Energy Deployment Initiative (REDI), which provided a 25% subsidy for solar heating systems for commercial buildings. The Conservatives have renamed this EcoENERGY for Renewable Heat (EERH).
The new program will also help the use of solar hot water to grow since it provides much-needed support for the development of the relevant standards, certification and changes to building codes.
