Ontario's next Long-Term…

Ontario's next Long-Term Energy Plan (LTEP) should going aim for 100% renewable energy as the way of the future. It is vital that Ontario be a leader in reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions through the use of renewable energy. Ontario's plan should put policies and incentives in place that enable citizens and communities to make choices that will reduce their energy consumption and use renewable clean choices.

Energy conservation and efficiency need to be the number one priority for all energy decisions. How can we reduce energy demand - building code for energy efficient houses is one very easily low hanging-fruit.

The LTEP should also empower citizens, muncipalities, cooperatives, and First Nations to be energy produces.  Municipalities should be using the methane that they capture through treatment process and using the heat and electricity that they can generate rather than flaring, new landfills should be designed to capture emissions, small scale biogas systems for food waste and manures should be promoted, it should be easy to install wind and solar energy systems. Currently the Ontario government relies on nuclear energy for a large proportion of it's power and this needs to change - renewable energy is getting cheaper and many nuclear plants in Ontario now require very expensive maintenance. A fair comparison of the total costs of nuclear to alternatives should be made.

Recently large solar and wind projects were cancelled because we have too much energy and are exporting it at a cost. However, in 2013 Ontario's energy plan committed to closing the Pickering nuclear station between 2017 and 2020 but now the government has annouced they will continue to operate until 2014. Most of Pickering's output is suplus and exported to Michigan at a loss - why is this happening when renewable clean energy solutions are being stopped? I am not saying all nuclear is bad - but when renewable cheaper clean alternatives exist - they should be the first choice.

It should also be easy to install geothermal at homes and businesses. And micro-hydro should also be considered. I live in a town with a canal with many damns on it, none of them harness the energy they produce.

[Original Comment ID: 206559]