Solar power projects in the works

Ontario may soon be home to some of the biggest solar farms on the planet, if last year’s explosion of interest in building solar generating systems is brought to fruition. The Ontario Power Authority signed 145 contracts in 2007 for the future construction of more than 250 megawatts (MW) of solar-powered energy, enough to power more than 50 000 homes.

The wave of solar proposals in Ontario is the result of the government’s efforts to boost the industry by paying a steep premium for power generated by the sun. Ontario’s “standard offer” program - the only one of its kind in Canada - guarantees a set price over 20 years for the purchase of alternative energy. Many contracts were put forth by individuals and community groups with plans to sell the province small amounts of power from rooftop installations.

Three large developers are behind the majority of the proposed megawatts of solar power, with plans for substantial ground-level solar farms:

• OptiSolar Farms Canada Inc. has signed contracts to build 150 MW worth of solar farms in southwestern Ontario, and has plans to add about 50 MW more to its portfolio.
• Pod Generating Group of Sault Ste. Marie is planning to install 60 MW of solar panels near Sault Ste. Marie in Northern Ontario, an investment worth about $360 million.
• SkyPower Corp., a Toronto-based wind power developer, signed contracts in 2007 to supply 30 MW of solar power to Ontario, and added another 40 MW this month.

Big solar projects have the advantage of requiring fewer municipal approvals than wind farms. The biggest completed solar project in the province is a series of panels on the roof of the horse barn at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. The Ontario Ministry of the Environment recently lifted a ban of the development of offshore wind projects in the Great Lakes, possibly clearing the way for a Toronto Hydro windfarm in Lake Ontario near the Scarborough Bluffs and 142 turbines to be erected offshore from Prince Edward County by Trillium Power Energy Corporation.

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