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When Ted Curry feels the energy of sunlight streaming into his home, he can’t help but want to capture it.

Curry, who lives in Goulais River near Sault Ste. Marie, is part of a growing number of Ontarians looking to become their own power plant, generating renewable energy with technology such as solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and selling it back to the province at attractive, government-sponsored rates.

"The environmental reality is that we have to make changes in how we generate power," said Curry, the owner of Superior Energy Solutions. "This is going to be a cornerstone of Ontario’s energy plan."

In late 2006, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), the province’s electricity planning agency, made Ontario the first jurisdiction in North America to allow private citizens to generate and sell their own electricity.

Modelled after programs in Germany and Japan, the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program (RESOP) pays guaranteed, preferential rates over a 20-year term for wind, solar, hydro or biomass developments that have capacities of less than 10 megawatts and connect to a local distribution grid.

The idea of the program is not to get Ontarians "off the grid," but rather to encourage citizens to help supply the province’s energy distribution network with renewable energy. Solar energy generated under RESOP sells for 42 cents per kilowatt-hour — roughly five times the rate charged by most regional utilities distribution companies. "It empowers folks to be on equal footing with large energy producers like (Ontario Power Generation) in a sense that they can generate power and sell it for profit," said Toronto-based renewable energy consultant Paul Charbonneau. "Americans and Europeans are lauding this legislation."

Trouble is, admits Charbonneau, northern Ontario utilities commissions are "a year behind" southern Ontario in enabling residents to take advantage of the province’s incentives.

"Most of the effort in getting these things up and running is securing the necessary permits to sell power back to the grid," said Charbonneau, who recently presented a seminar on solar energy in Wawa, Ont., and expects to tour the Trans-Canada Highway corridor in Ontario again in February.

Charbonneau is quick to point out that it’s not the utilities companies’ fault in adapting to Ontario’s evolving energy landscape.

"As people learn more about renewable energy and start asking their utilities commissions about it, we’ll see more projects in the north," he said. "It’s only a matter of time."

According to the OPA’s website, northern Ontario has limited transmission capacity, meaning that access to the grid is restricted for new developments.

"Our concern is that we don’t want to buy power in places where it can’t be delivered," said Mary Bernard, the OPA’s corporate communications specialist.

Charbonneau’s Riverdale neighbourhood in Toronto was among the province’s first to take advantage of RESOP. More than 60 households formed the Riverdale Initiative for Solar Energy, which purchased solar PV panels in bulk and lobbied to establish a framework whereby individual energy producers could become "grid-tied" with the city’s electricity distribution network.

Just more than a year later, Charbonneau said there are now more than 450 Toronto households involved.

Still, Ontario is light-years behind its German counterparts. At the end of 2007, only 0.3 megawatts of solar-generated power went toward Ontario’s 31,000-megawatt annual capacity. By comparison, Germany produces 3,000 megawatts of solar energy. (One megawatt of consistent energy production will meet the annual energy needs of about 220 households.)

Germany’s 300,000-plus household-scale solar producers make 83 cents per kilowatt-hour sold to the grid — nearly twice Ontario’s rate. Little wonder, the German solar power sector employs more than 50,000 people.

However, Ontario’s solar economy is heating up. In 2007, the OPA inked deals for more than 140 solar initiatives, including a 60-megawatt facility in Sault Ste. Marie. If completed, these contracts would increase Ontario’s solar output by 250 megawatts. Meanwhile, RESOP has the lofty goal of getting 100,000 solar systems installed in Ontario households.

Charbonneau said Canadians have been slower to accept solar energy because "they need to see it and learn how it works first." His Energy Advocate consulting firm presents seminars such as the one held in Wawa and works with Ontario school boards to bring solar energy into classrooms.

Much of Charbonneau’s efforts have been directed at encouraging the installation of rooftop solar PV panels on schools, churches and other public buildings.
Canadian Press

Solar for yor home $20,000 - $40,000 !

When you're ready to make the big investment in going solar, there are several offerings that could get you the biggest bang for your buck. On Tuesday's The Early Show environmental lifestyle contributor Danny Seo (www.dannyseo.com)(http://dannyseo.typepad.com) points to some he feels make the grade, as they use the power of the sun to create energy. In Part One of a three-part series, he looks at the biggest and newest solar devices that can power your home. On average, a homeowner can expect to spend $20,000 to $40,000 to install solar panels on a home. The bigger the home, the more expensive. When you install solar panels on your home, you're not taking your own home off the electrical grid. On cloudy or overcast days, when your panels aren't generating optimum electricity, you don't have to worry about your lights going dark. Instead, you're converting your home into a hybrid-powered home: one that uses solar energy and then supplements the excess with traditional electricity. On days that you're actually overproducing solar electricity, your home becomes a mini-power plant, putting electricity back into the grid. That generates a credit on your utility bill. You could eventually be making money from the power company. If this new form of energy interests you, here are a few choices for your home:
Camouflage solar panels: The problem with installing solar panels on the roof is that they can look unsightly. But Sharp Solar (www.solar.sharpusa.com) modules come in a variety of rectangular and triangular modules, which means they fit and blend into even multi-faceted roofs. They are designed to be flush with the roof, not jet out of the roof like traditional panels. Installing Sharp solar panels is a two-step process. First, Sharp does an in-home analysis of your current electrical needs, along with a diagnostics check of your roof's sun intensity. Sharp also offers a quote that includes federal and state rebates and what your true energy goals are: to be completely powered solar or to simply supplement your existing needs. Sharp also coordinates building permits, inspections and rebate forms and then finally installs everything. If you're building a new home and you're not ready to install solar panels, you can do the next best thing: pre-wire for solar technology. Having pre-existing wiring installed during construction will eliminate the hassle of running wires from the rooftop solar panels to your electrical system in the future.
The Brilliance solar energy system by GE: The new Brilliance solar energy system lets homeowners buy the three required components of solar energy all in one purchase. Homeowners have the option of choosing systems ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 watts output. The lower the watt output, the lower the price — but the lower use of solar energy in the home. It all depends on what your needs and goals are.
Solar tent: Even when you're roughing it in the Great Outdoors, you can use the power of the sun to light up your temporary home, your tent. Eureka's "Solar Intent" ($239.99, www.eurekatent.com) has built-in LED lights and integrated solar panels to power the energy-efficient LED lights. The whole tent is just 16 pounds and can accommodate six people.
Solar golf cart: People often forget that golf carts are one of the first electric powered modes of transportation ever created. Additionally, many golf carts feature a flat roof ideal for the installation of solar panels. As most golfers are spending bright, sunny days hitting the courses, it makes sense to have a cart that recharges itself in the sun throughout the day using solar energy. CruiseCar ($6,500, www.cruisecarinc.com is a manufacturer of solar-powered golf carts called SunRay. While the cart itself can be recharged traditionally by plugging it in, it can also be recharged entirely by a rooftop solar panel in as little as three days.