Every job I have every…

Every job I have every received has come out of the green energy act. The multiplied impact of renewable energy development is so significant.  The Green Energy act created upwards to 20,000 diverse jobs.  Nuclear refurbishments give an additional 100 jobs to chemical engineers.  I would pay more for electricity if I knew if was 100% renewable.

Ontario should join the global movement toward 100% renewable energy.

Ontario’s next energy plan needs to come clean on the true cost of nuclear power and help citizens and communities to empower themselves with renewable energy.

Ontario’s next energy plan needs to remove barriers to citizens and communities becoming energy self-sufficient.

I want Ontario to take the renewable path to a low-carbon future.

Going 100% renewable is the right path for Ontario to fight climate change and end our reliance on risky and costly nuclear power.

Nuclear power is moving backward.  Renewable energy is moving forward.  Globally, Nuclear energy is shrinking, simply because it is more expensive.  Let Ontario be a leader in integrating sustainable energy technology.

The next energy plan needs to plan for replacing our existing reactors with renewable energy.

The next energy plan should require nuclear projects to be compared to renewable energy options. All future nuclear projects should be independently and publicly reviewed.

Nuclear power creates radioactive waste and the risk of a Fukushima-type accident

Ontario’s next energy plan should acknowledge that operating nuclear plants on the Great Lakes and in the Greater Toronto Area is an unneeded risk.

Recommendations:

1. Maintain the FIT program for qualified community organizations...

Including co-ops, First Nations, Métis, municipalities, public utilities, school boards, non-profit institutions, religious organizations, and other authentic community-based entities.

2. FIT for community wind that allows community groups to lead projects...

In 2014 the FIT for wind projects over 500 kW was cancelled and replaced with a competitive procurement process called the Large Renewable Procurement (LRP). The LRP is only open to bidders with deep pockets and extensive experience and therefore not inclusive of community proponents, even while community ownership has been proven to decrease local resistance. While the LRP does encourage Indigenous participation, there are no incentives for developers to work with co-ops. The community power sector needs a level playing field to participate in wind projects. A FIT for wind up to 20 MW can address the current imbalance introduced by the LRP.

3. Raise the capacity cap for FIT projects to 1 MW...

to help increase economies of scale, to increase local distributed power supply and therefore local grid resiliency in the face of increasingly erratic weather patterns, and to benefit from new technology trends such as energy storage.

4. Provide provincial loan guarantees for co-op and other non-profit renewable energy projects

5. Help to export community expertise

[Original Comment ID: 203711]