Posts Tagged ‘kingston’

Green Energy Act Benefits Ontario Hospital

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

Kingston General Hospital (Kingston General) has announced that it will install 95 kW worth of solar panels on the rooftop of its Kidd Wing.  The project is one of several measures the hospital will take between now and 2012 to make its operations more energy efficient and incorporate alternative sources of power.  Kingston General will work to ensure that the new solar installation complies with the eligibility criteria under Ontario’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program, which pays high prices for green energy and helps create new career opportunities in the energy sector.  The hospital will also receive $118,000 from Utilities Kingston to help pay for the renovations.

Ontario passed its Green Energy Act in May of 2009, paving the way for the province to establish the continent’s first FIT program.  The FIT pays producers of green energy to tie into the electrical grid, provided that they meet certain requirements.  Among them, owners of participating projects must certify that a certain percentage of parts and labour were sourced in Ontario.  The Act and the program’s financial incentives encourage people to switch to alternative sources of energy and create opportunities for manufacturing and career training, such as certification courses for solar installers.

Alternative Energy Part of Greater, Greener Objective

The Kidd Wing solar installation is part of an agreement between Kingston General and New Jersey-based Honeywell for a $10.5 million upgrade to the hospital’s medical research and career training infrastructure.  In addition to the solar PV panels, the company will also help the hospital install a high-efficiency hot water condensing boiler plant, replace 250 windows in its heritage Watkins building, update fixtures to include more energy efficient models, and install low-flow toilets and sinks.

Kingston General expects to prevent the release of 2,200 tonnes of greenhouse gases annually with the new upgrades and save more than 70,000 cubic metres of water per year.  The hospital overhaul reflects a province-wide move toward greater energy efficiency and an overall commitment on the part of Ontarians to act as stewards of the environment, protecting it for future generations.

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Kingston’s Rooftop Challenge: 1,000 Solar Panel Installations by 2011

Saturday, November 20th, 2010

The solar industry caught the attention of a local non-for-profit group in Kingston, Ontario focused on helping the province transition to a more sustainable and cleaner future.  SWITCH travels throughout the city searching for homes that are suitable for solar panel installations.  Its goal is to help Kingston turn solar by encouraging 1,000 homeowners to erect photovoltaic systems on their unused land and rooftops.  Thus far, SWITCH has successfully helped with over seventy-six solar panel installations.  Company representative, Tyson Champagne, states, “More solar power in the city will ensure a greater percentage of power used will be coming from clean energy sources.”

Solar PV Training Is an Integral Part of the Solar Industry

Suntech announced intentions to build a solar silicon manufacturing plant in Vaughan Ontario.  Together working with Calisolar, “the partnership will accelerate the development of the solar industry in Ontario and meet the growing solar demand across Canada.”  Green jobs are important to Ontario, but installers trained in solar photovoltaic installations are just as vital to the energy sector.  According to the Ontario Power Authority, there were approximately 19,000 microFIT applications through July 2, 2010, 5% of which had been installed and commissioned by the end of August 2010.  This statistic is alarming because without qualified solar installers that have the necessary solar PV training, this backlog could derail the green energy movement.

Ontario Solar Network Promotes Solar Jobs, Solar PV Training, and Solar Energy

Ontario Solar Network (OSN) kicked off its membership campaign with a special event held in Vaughn, Ontario.  Ontario Solar Network began as the alumni group of Ontario Solar Academy’s solar PV training course, and as demand for solar expansion and professional networking grew, OSN membership soon followed.  Jacob Travis, Founder and President of OSN stated the goal of the Network is “to help members grow their solar businesses and careers,” promising that the Network will help “businesses access what they need to know, and who they need to know.

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