I want Ontario to go 100%…

I want Ontario to go 100% renewable

When I was in elementary school in Toronto in the 1970s, I had the opportunity to tour a model solar home. I was convinced that by the time I was an adult, all houses would be solar powered. We have the technology. And the people of Ontario have the will. So it's now in your hands. I want Ontario’s next Long-Term Energy Plan (LTEP) to acknowledge that going 100% renewable is a viable option for Ontario’s energy future. More and more communities, countries and companies are opting to be responsible and choose sustainability. Ontario’s next energy plan should put policies in place to enable citizens, communities and First Nations to choose renewable, sustainable energy models.

Alternative Approaches

I know you will be getting many messages to empower everyone from citizens and co-ops to municipalities and First Nations to become energy producers. And a recent government study showed we have the potential to cost-effectively reduce electricity demand by 30% by 2035. But I think we can do even better. I have long wondered why building codes don't limit the amount of energy that a new building can draw from the grid, depending on zoning. For example, all residential homes could have the same cap on energy from the grid, requiring larger homes to build in more energy efficiency and/or generation of renewable power. But even more effective would be energy caps on commercial and industrial buildings, forcing them to factor the environment into the cost of their building plans.

Come Clean on Nuclear Costs

The biggest barrier to shifting Ontario to 100% renewable energy is the government’s current commitment to nuclear power.

While the cost of renewables keeps declining, the cost of nuclear power has only ever gone up. Despite this, the government’s past energy plans have made no requirement for nuclear projects to undergo public review against alternatives. This needs to change.

Ontario’s next energy plan needs to ensure there are a full and fair comparisons of the total costs of nuclear with alternatives and an opportunity for the public to have a say about which approach they prefer.

Close Pickering

Ontario’s 2013 energy plan committed to close the Pickering nuclear station between 2017 and 2020, but earlier this year the government announced they would renege on this promise and keep operating Pickering until 2024. Almost all of Pickering’s output is surplus and exported to Michigan at a loss. This is driving up energy costs. Pickering’s continued operation also puts the public at risk. Ontario has not updated its nuclear emergency plans since the Fukushima disaster. I want the government to keep its promise to close Pickering before 2020.

Please treat this with the seriousness it deserves. After all, there is no planet B.

[Original Comment ID: 206495]