Posts Tagged ‘green jobs’
Friday, March 11th, 2011
One of Canada’s largest owners and developers of solar projects, SkyPower, has signed on with Fort Williams First Nation in Thunder Bay, Ontario to develop a solar park on the First Nation’s land. The 10MW project will cover about 10,000 acres of Fort Williams’ property and house 45,000 solar panels. “This successful partnership demonstrates our commitment to strategic partnerships in renewable energy and we continue to explore similar opportunities to ensure a brighter future for future generations,” said SkyPower President and CEO, Kerry Adler.
When the park is completed, it will generate enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 17,000 homes a year for the next twenty years, while ensuring a host of new alternative energy jobs. “Our energy plan is creating jobs for Ontario families and is turning Ontario into a global clean energy powerhouse,” said Minister of Energy, the Hon. Brad Duguid. “It is important partnerships like this one with First Nations communities that will help ensure a clean, strong and reliable energy system for the future of our children and grandchildren.”
Ontario Solar Park Creates Alternative Energy Jobs
According to SkyPower, this solar park will create at least 100 new alternative energy jobs in the local area. Senior Director, James Pagonis, hopes the community will provide more educational opportunities such as solar panel classes and PV training courses. “We are creating high quality, good paying jobs and providing local investment that will strengthen the local economy,” said Adler. PV courses are recommended, as the project will be completed by the end of summer 2011.
SkyPower Boosts Need for PV Courses
In addition to its numerous solar panel projects across Ontario, SkyPower allows property owners to get involved with the feed-in-tariff (FIT) program – an ambitious government incentive that not only helps to boost the provincial economy, but it also helps boost overall demand for solar panel classes and related green training. Consumers willing to use SkyPower’s rooftop solar PV applications can actively partake in Ontario’s emerging green energy economy and receive generous incentive payments for any clean energy produced and fed into the grid, thus, contributing to a healthier environment and creating more alternative energy jobs
Tags: Alternative Energy Jobs, green jobs, Ministry of Energy, ontario solar academy, Ontario Solar Parks, PV Courses, SkyPower
Posted in Solar Legislation & Politics, Solar Technology, Solar Training | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
As of March 15, Ontario’s green energy producers will be subject to a new set of fees for applications they make for feed-in tariff (FIT), microFIT, and other renewable power projects. The province has a rapidly-expanding market for solar, wind, and other clean power sources that has created thousands of kilowatts (kW) of green energy and boosted the careers of workers in these industries. In exchange for the new Renewable Energy Approval fees, the Ministry of the Environment will streamline the approvals process in order to make it easier for businesses, organizations, and individuals to participate in this emerging area in the future.
The FIT and microFIT are parts of a government initiative to diversify Ontario’s energy supply mix and to use cleaner forms of energy to replace the province’s coal-fired power plants by 2014. The programs keep the initiative on course by paying high prices to producers of solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, and biomass energy. In turn, they provide spin-off benefits like new career opportunities and training courses like Ontario Solar Academy’s PV design and installation training program.
Fees Help Simplify Process, Keep Solar Energy, Career Training on Course
The new Renewable Energy Approval fees, as drafted, range from $1,000 to $67,905, depending on the type and size of project. However, the Ontario government’s recent decision to impose a moratorium on off-shore wind projects effectively cancels the highest fee, leaving the top payout at $56,458 for on-shore wind farms larger than 50 MW. Owners of new PV projects will now pay $1,000 for government approval of installations of 500 kW and less and $12,844 for larger solar farms.
According to a government website, “The Renewable Energy Approval simplifies the number and types of approvals required for new renewable energy projects, integrating environmental, health, and safety matters previously dealt with by a number of provincial, municipal and proponent-driven processes into one process.” While Ontario’s new fees may present an obstacle for newcomers to the province’s green energy industry, the recent decision reflects the government’s responsibility to ensure that this new market evolves into a long-term, stable sector of the economy that helps to create a healthy and prosperous future for Ontarians.
Tags: Energy Career Training, FIT, green jobs, microFIT, ontario solar academy, Renewable Energy Approval, solar energy
Posted in Solar Legislation & Politics, Solar Social, Solar Training | No Comments »
Monday, February 21st, 2011
SkyPower Limited (SkyPower), a Toronto-based solar energy company, recently signed an agreement with the Fort Williams First Nation (FWFN) to create a solar park project in Thunder Bay, Ontario. This particular solar project is special in that it marks the first time this type of large-scale solar energy project has taken place on First Nation Land in Canada. Covering about 100 acres of Fort William First Nation land in Thunder Bay, Ontario, the park is not notable simply for its size and scope, but it is also expected be a generous source of new renewable energy jobs for qualified individuals with solar PV course training.
“In Ontario, it is essential that we are continuously driving and fostering innovative relationships in the clean energy sector. We are pleased to be a part of such a unique agreement to develop this solar park,” said Kerry Adler, SkyPower President and CEO. “Since the founding of Toronto-based SkyPower, we have always sought unique opportunities for collaboration and partnership with First Nation communities.” He continued, “This successful partnership demonstrates our commitment to strategic partnerships in renewable energy and we continue to explore similar opportunities to ensure a brighter future for future generations.”
About the Solar Energy Park
Construction of this unique solar energy project will begin in early 2011, with completion currently slated for later this summer. When the solar park becomes operational, it will generate enough clean energy to power 17,000 homes per year for the next twenty years. Environmentalists will be happy as the project’s Carbon Dioxide Offset is estimated to be 130,000 tonnes over the expected lifetime of the project.
Agreement Increases Demand for Solar Energy Classes / PV Courses
This agreement is also significant as the partnership will result in an increase in renewable energy jobs in Ontario, thus, helping to boost demand for green professionals who have successfully completed PV courses or solar energy classes in the province’s growing renewable energy market. By enrolling in schools like Ontario Solar Academy, aspiring solar PV installers can receive their full training and certification in as little as five days.
Tags: FIT, green jobs, microFIT, ontario solar academy, PV Course, SkyPower, Solar Careers, solar energy classes, Solar Energy Park
Posted in Solar Business, Solar Social, Solar Training | No Comments »
Saturday, February 12th, 2011
In southern Ontario, the Niagara Region has joined the Ontario Clean Technology Alliance (OCTA), an organization with representation in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Waterloo Region, Windsor-Essex, London, Sarnia-Lambton, Chatham-Kent, and Guelph. In a continuing cross-border exchange of technology learned in solar panel workshops and photovoltaic (PV) certification courses, alliance members were promoting Southern Ontario in Phoenix, Ariz. as a green-energy hub at the Energy, Utility, and Environment Conference EUEC 2011. “We’re looking at it as a very cost-effective way of getting Niagara’s name out there,” said Alan Teichroeb, VP of Business Planning for the Niagara Economic Development Corp (NEDC). ”When you’re marketing beyond the borders of your country, it’s particularly important to create alliances and partnerships.”
Municipal economic renewal efforts are part of many initiatives taken by the private sector in the region to encourage clean energy and green economics. The rooftop at the 20 Bees Winery on Niagara Stone Road will have a different look come this spring when it becomes the new home for a 109-kilowatt solar energy system. Enfinity, a global renewable energy company, will lease the rooftop space. “Enfinity approached us about doing it and we’re very excited about it,” said Matt Dixon, Brand Manager for Diamond Estates, owner of the winery. ”We think this is a great way to get alternative energy,” he said. ”It benefits us; it benefits the community because everything goes back into the grid.”
PV Certification Course: Road to Entrepreneurship
Many Niagara residents have started attending solar panel workshops and PV certification classes to prepare themselves for renewable energy careers in the province. After taking PV design and installation training at Ontario Solar Academy, Niagara construction consultant and electrical contractor, Luciano Di Leonardo, started two new companies: SolarHarvest Power Corporation Ltd. and SunHarvest Solar. Similar examples of solar-powered entrepreneurship exist throughout the province as residents and business owners alike embrace the economic potential of photovoltaic technology.
Niagara’s political and business gurus recently erected signs along the QEW calling Niagara the “Green Energy Capital of Ontario.” Renewable energy careers will grow alongside grapes in the vineyards of solar panel workshops. They will be the new wine served at the clean energy table. It is a sweet and intoxicating prospect.
Tags: Enfinity, green jobs, NEDC, Niagra, OCTA, ontario solar academy, solar jobs, solar training
Posted in Solar Business, Solar Social, Solar Training | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011
Two solar companies, Unirac, Inc. and Canadian Solar Solutions, Inc. announced recently that they now offer a new joint solar package for their customers. The two companies now offer the 300 megawatts package, which consists of Canadian Solar Solution’s photovoltaic (PV) panels and Unirac’s solar racking systems, for either commercial or residential use in Canada. Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar Inc. said that, “the partnership helps assure optimized power production in a rooftop and ground mount environment.”
Both companies are very optimistic about the partnership as well as the future of sustainable energy. Ontario customers will receive the highest levels of system performance, and they can increase the return on their investment through Ontario’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program, as well as create a clean, sustainable source of energy.
The Future of Solar PV Installation Training and other Green Jobs
In 2009, the Ontario provincial government introduced different incentive and support programs to encourage solar projects, including the feed-in tariff program. This in turn created more green jobs and increased demand for workers with solar PV installation training. Enrollment in sola PV schools, like Ontario Solar Academy, has risen considerably in the past year, highlighting this increased interest and the long-term appeal of this rapidly growing industry. Partnerships, such as that of Canadian Solar Solutions and Unirac, will further boost future interest in solar PV installation training, renewable energy certification, and green jobs.
More on Canadian Solar Solutions and Unirac
Canadian Solar Solutions is a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, Inc. and it provides for solar projects throughout not only Canada, but also the United States, Asia, and Europe. Its main focus is on providing solar-related materials and equipment for commercial, residential, and solar farm markets in Canada. Unirac mainly provides PV mounting systems. In the past it focused on solar energy installations. Such partnerships have moved Ontario ahead to second place in North American solar photovoltaic (PV) rankings.
Tags: Canadian Solar Solutions, FIT, green jobs, megawatts, ontario solar academy, PV Installation Training, rooftops, Unirac
Posted in Solar Business, Solar Technology, Solar Training | No Comments »
Sunday, February 6th, 2011
Gary Schellenberger, MP for Perth–Wellington, recently announced that the world-renowned Stratford Shakespeare Festival will receive funding designed to help Ontario’s growing solar energy industry. Specifically, the Government of Canada funded $246,750 to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival via the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund within the Department of Canadian Heritage.
This federal government funding will go towards paying for both the cost and labour involved with building an innovative solar energy wall at the famous Avon Theatre in Stratford – another boon to Southern Ontario’s solar energy industry. In addition, the funding will also pay for the festival theatre’s new heating purchase and installation.
“We know that the installation of energy-efficient equipment will help ensure the company’s continued success and further promote its environmental leadership,” stated James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.
Funding Increases Alternative Energy Jobs and Demand for Solar Courses
Besides the obvious direct benefits to the festival, this funding will also increase the number of alternative energy jobs in Ontario. Consequently, demand for green professionals who have successfully completed solar training courses in the province’s growing alternative energy job field will likely increase well. However, schools like Ontario Solar Academy are able to train and certify solar PV installers in as little as five days.
About the Stratford Shakespeare Festival
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival offers superior live play performances to both a national and international audience. Established in 1953, this world renowned festival has grown to become one of North America’s largest classical repertory theatre companies, prompting Moore to comment that his government was “proud to support a quality organization like the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.”
In response to this investment, Antoni Cimolino, General Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival stated:
“We appreciate that the Government of Canada has shown interest in these less glamorous aspects of arts support, recognizing that they will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint. We strive to be a leader in the cultural sector and hope that our efforts to green our facilities will inspire other cultural organizations to do the same.”
All in all, the future is looking great for alternative energy jobs and the solar energy industry in Ontario.
Tags: FIT, green jobs, ontario solar academy, OPA, PV, solar training
Posted in Solar Legislation & Politics, Solar Social, Solar Technology | No Comments »
Saturday, January 22nd, 2011
Ontario-based Canadian Solar, Inc. (Canadian Solar) has announced its participation in the European solar industry’s most powerful photovoltaic (PV) installation to date. The 70 MW solar array was constructed and recently connected by SunEdison, based out of Spain and Beltsville, Maryland, which also maintains an office in Toronto. SunEdison is an international developer, financer, operator, and monitor of solar plants across the globe. Canadian Solar was among the companies who contributed solar panels to SunEdison for the project.
Over the last decade, the Canadian Solar team has applied its solar industry training and experience in seven countries across the globe and operates as many manufacturing plants worldwide. Between 2002 and 2009, the company’s revenue increased by almost $600 million. According to its website, Canadian Solar’s products “adhere to the strictest international quality standards, backed by IEC, TUV, (and) UL, certifications.” Canadian Solar recently formed Canadian Solar Solutions to take part in the vibrant PV market that has sprung up in its home province.
Company, Province Create Clean Power, Alternative Energy Jobs
Ontario’s solar projects benefit from its feed-in tariff (FIT) and microFIT programs, the first of their kind in North America, which pay above-market rates, guaranteed over twenty years, to alternative energy producers who feed solar, wind, and biomass installations into the provincial power grid. The programs create renewable energy, jobs, and inspire new educational opportunities such as PV training certification courses.
Canadian Solar’s and its subsidiary’s most significant contribution to the Ontario industry to date is a solar panel manufacturing facility in Guelph, which the companies expect will begin operations by spring of 2011. They predict that the plant will produce 200 MW worth of panels each year and provide the province with up to 500 new alternative energy jobs. According to the company’s President, Shawn Qu, the facility will be one of the largest of its kind in North America.
With its international efforts, Canadian Solar makes Canada’s influence felt and its commitment to environmental sustainability known across the globe. And with its Guelph plant, it will also do its part to ensure the successes of Ontario’s FIT and microFIT programs.
Tags: Canadian Solar Solutions, clean energy, green jobs, Ontario, solar certification, solar training
Posted in Solar Social, Solar Technology, Solar Training | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
Solar Logix, Inc. (Solar Logix) has begun construction on an innovative new residential microFIT solar installation in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The project is the thirty-sixth the company has installed in the city since July of last year, and in that time, Solar Logix has helped more than thirty workers find solar energy careers.
“We’ve grown a lot,” says Jason Richat, Solar Logix’s General Manager. Based in Thunder Bay, the company is a full-service provider of rooftop and ground-mounted solar energy systems. Solar Logix’s latest installation is a solar tracking unit shaped like a large sail, with fifty-two photovoltaic (PV) panels that move to follow the sun. Like all of the company’s installations, it will meet the requirements of the province’s microFIT program.
Ontario’s microFIT allows home-owners and businesses to earn up to 80.2 cents/kW-hour for energy they feed into the province’s power grid from renewable sources such as solar, wind, and biomass. The program, which covers projects up to 10 kW capacity, and its companion for larger projects, simply called the feed-in tariff (FIT), create job opportunities like solar energy careers and training programs like PV installation classes to help workers make the switch to the new green energy economy.
City Ideal for Solar Energy Installations, PV Class Grads Entering New Careers
Thunder Bay is home to a number of FIT and microFIT projects, including a rooftop system at the Northern Lights Credit Union building on Amber drive, a product of Solar Logix, and another at Dufresne Furniture, which sits across the street from the credit union. The city is prime real estate for solar installations, as its location in Ontario allows it to take part in the FIT and microFIT and gives it access to PV installation classes and other “green” educational opportunities. According to the city’s website, it is also “the sunniest city in eastern Canada, with an average of 2,167.7 hours of bright sunshine each year.”
With the help of the Ontario government, Mother Nature, and Solar Logix, Thunder Bay is well-positioned to help both its own and the province’s economies become richer while providing them with clean, renewable energy.
Tags: green jobs, microFIT, Ontario, ontario power authority, ontario solar academy, PV installation classes, rooftop, solar energy careers
Posted in Solar Business, Solar Social, Solar Training | No Comments »
Friday, January 7th, 2011
City Council in Owen Sound, Ontario, will soon decide whether the municipality will join the province’s green economy with a pair of ground-mounted solar installations on city-owned property.
Within the next few months, Owen Sound’s Environmental Superintendent, Chris Hughes, will present a plan to Council for two 10 kW installations that the city’s Environmental and Waste Advisory Committee expects to cost $171,000 before taxes. The projects will generate revenue by participating in the Ontario Power Authority’s (OPA’s) lucrative microFIT program. The committee reviewed proposals from nine different companies and selected Toronto’s Essex Energy Corporation (Essex Energy) to build photovoltaic systems at the Kiwanis Soccer Complex and at a public works facility in the city. Essex Energy is a division of Essex Power Corporation (Essex Power) that specializes in renewable energy systems and distributed generation.
Ontario’s microFIT pays above-market rates, locked into twenty-year contracts, to owners of small-scale alternative energy-generating installations who tie their projects into the province’s power grid. The program and its companion feed-in tariff (FIT) for larger projects create clean power as well as jobs for graduates of photovoltaic training classes.
Projects Would Create Alternative Energy, Jobs for Photovoltaic Class Graduates
“It’s environmentally responsible. It’s cost-neutral to begin with and, ultimately, it will be a source of revenue for the city in the future,” says Councillor Bill Twaddle, Chairman of the advisory committee. The projects, if approved, will also create jobs in the region, as the FIT and microFIT require participating developers to acquire up to 60% of materials and labour from within the province.
If City Council agrees to take on the projects, the two photovoltaic installations will represent Owen Sound’s first foray into alternative energy since the province began to offer financial incentives for clean electricity. “This is kind of a small introduction into the whole thing,” says Councillor Twaddle. The committee expects the solar installations to pay for themselves within ten years and generate income for the city for the remainder of the microFIT contracts. Owen Sound’s entry into the solar market brings the region into step with many other municipalities that, with the help of the OPA and graduates of the province’s photovoltaic classes, do their part to take Ontario into a greener future.
Tags: feed-in-tariff, green jobs, job development, microFIT, ontario power authority, ontario solar academy, solar energy, solar training
Posted in Solar Social, Solar Technology, Solar Training | 1 Comment »
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
On Wednesday, January 6, Richards Memorial United Church (Richards Memorial), in London, Ontario will begin operating its new microFIT rooftop solar installation. The project is the city’s first photovoltaic (PV) system on a church building.
“We’ve seen cars stop in the street and (drivers) roll down their windows to look up,” says the church’s pastor, Rev. Janet Fradette. Her congregation chose to focus on the environment in 2010, and she says the twenty-year contract is a reminder that a commitment to sustainability must be long-term.
“It’s one of those projects that has appeal from whatever viewpoint you look at it,” says the Reverend. The installation will create renewable energy, draw revenue, and provide work for Ontarians who have chosen to pursue green careers. Its fifty panels, installed in the shape of a cross, will produce 14 MW-hours of solar power and prevent the release of 11 tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year.
Programs Create Renewable Energy, Careers for Workers with Solar Training
The church secured an $87,000 loan from the Middlesex Presbytery of the United Church of Canada to finance its PV project. It expects to pay off the loan within eight years and then generate income by participating in Ontario’s microFIT program. The program creates renewable energy and careers for graduates of “green” educational streams, like solar training courses, by paying high prices for electricity produced by grid-tied solar or wind projects under 10 kW of capacity. The microFIT and its companion program for larger projects, simply referred to as the feed-in tariff (FIT), both lock prices into twenty-year contracts.
Richards Memorial expects the solar project to generate up to $216,000 over the course of its participation in the microFIT program. The church hired Direct Current Renewable Energy (Direct Current) to install the cross-shaped solar array. Direct Current is a Brantford-based company whose management brings to the table more than a decade and a half worth of training and experience in commercial and residential electrical systems. The company had already installed one system on a church in Hamilton prior to constructing the London project.
The church chose the last day of Epiphany to hold its dedication ceremony for the new solar system. The date, fittingly, commemorates the time when the Wise Men of the Bible followed the light in the sky in their search for Jesus.
Tags: feed-in-tariff, green economy, green jobs, job development, Ontario, ontario solar academy, solar academy, solar certification, solar energy, solar installation, solar projects, solar training, sustainable energy
Posted in Solar Business, Solar Social, Solar Technology, Solar Training | No Comments »
One of Canada’s largest owners and developers of solar projects, SkyPower, has signed on with Fort Williams First Nation in Thunder Bay, Ontario to develop a solar park on the First Nation’s land. The 10MW project will cover about 10,000 acres of Fort Williams’ property and house 45,000 solar panels. “This successful partnership demonstrates our commitment to strategic partnerships in renewable energy and we continue to explore similar opportunities to ensure a brighter future for future generations,” said SkyPower President and CEO, Kerry Adler.
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