To Whom It May Concern: I…

To Whom It May Concern:

I believe that the most efficient and sustainable use of public capital spending on energy (or Ontario Hydro spending) when it comes to energy generation and energy distribution utilizes alternative energy sources that are renewable and sustainable and do NOT require the use of fossil fuels or potentially hazardous nuclear fuel.

With the vast sums of money that have been spent on nuclear plants and will potentially be spent on retrofitting older nuclear plants, given the current technological advancement of current technologies and new technologies that are pending in the next few years, I believe that we can follow the example of Germany and use a lot more solar and/or wind generated energy (or better yet, new state of the art alternative energy sources).

The Ontario government could encourage each home (where feasible) to put solar energy panels on their roof along with a small quiet vertical wind turbine.  Along with the battery wall packs (e.g. Tesla’s 14kWh PowerWall https://www.tesla.com/en_CA/powerwall#design ), the home would not only be self-sufficient but would typically be able to contribute to the grid during the day as well (when there are peak energy requirements).

If the Ontario government would invest in the cost effective manufacturing of state of the art solar panels, solar shingles, and small vertical wind turbines (along with the electronics for using such sources) in massive volume, the price will be very reasonable per kilowatt hour generated (and that price will continue to drop as technology drives greater energy conversation efficiencies).

If the government were to grant the average Ontario homeowner with one third of the costs (e.g. $10,000 for a $30,000 system) for the maximum energy generation for the home, for every one billion dollars that would be spent on refitting nuclear plants and improving distribution lines, 100,000 Ontario homes (or ~400,000 Ontarians) would now be energy elf-sufficient AND they would be able to provide excess power back to the grid.  In reality, the government would most likely provide a 1/3 grant based on the nameplate power the system can generate.

With the age and inherent problems with our current energy distribution grid in North America and how susceptible it is to going down (think 2004 for example, ice storms, one part of the grid pulling down another part of the grid due to e.g. transformer failures, etc.)  , it is wise to ensure Ontarians have the ability to generate their own energy on a sustainable basis.

Moreover, Ontarians with their own energy generation facility would provide a lot of additional jobs in Ontario, especially if there was an incentive to Ontario companies to provide the solar cells, wind turbines, electrical connections and controllers, etc.

The Ontario Government may also consider legislation requiring mandatory solar cell shingles on all new homes from here on in until a better technology comes along.

Elon Musk (Tesla Motors) has stated in November, 2016 that the cost of using solar shingles on a roof (new home or a home that needs to be re-shingled) will be the same or LESS than the cost of traditional shingles.  This is BEFORE the benefit of the generated electricity.  Why would not every new home use this technology?

The Ontario Government also needs to get rid of all the legislative and “rules and regulations” red tape that prevents small energy operators from feeding their renewable energy to the grid.  A small energy producers should be able to get a permit and be connected to the grid in one week or less, not the current long drawn out system that actually discourages small power generators from bringing their power to the grid.

Also, there are other better alternative energy devices that have been invented that have been suppressed by larger corporations seeking to protect their profitable energy profits.  The Ontario government needs to work for the people, not the large corporations.  These older and new energy devices must be allowed to come forward for the benefit of all of humanity; it provides a competitive advantage for Ontarians if we have cheap, dependable energy/electricity.  The Ontario Government needs to do all in its power to make this happen and encourage more entrepreneurial development of alternative energy.

With solar shingles on Ontario’s homes (and small vertical wind generators for the times when it is NOT sunny but windy instead) along with a “Tesla like” PowerWall 14kWh battery pack, we can generate a lot of electricity for homes and electric cars with the excess going to the grid when it is needed the most during the day.  This investment is far superior to further investment in nuclear generators or fossil based fuels.

Let’s move toward a sustainable, clean, renewable future as it relates to energy for Ontarians.

Thank You.

[Original Comment ID: 205030]