Green Energy "Goldrush" in Ontario - Regulate the Industry Please
The Green Energy "Goldrush" in Ontario has begun. Individuals and community groups can unhinge themselves from the big energy producers. Not only can they become self-sufficient, there is money to be made.
In May 2009, the Ontario Government passed the Green Energy Act (1), which allows for individuals and community groups that produce energy to feed back their green energy onto the grid and receive eighty cents per kilowatt hour. The average consumer pays about twelve cents per kilowatt hour.
However, there is one problem. There are no regulations on who can install green energy systems. What can be done about this oversight? Luckily it has a simple solution.
Just like what was done for the building trades by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, we need consumer protection for the green energy installers. The tradespeople that install the wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal systems and solar heaters should be trained, accredited and insured.
We need to protect the consumer, the bona-fide green energy installers, the taxpayers' money that will help support the new green energy production and the environmental movement from people selling "fool's gold".
Creating policy in the industry should give prospective producers confidence to invest in green energy and give a vast a group people the golden opportunity to become energy-independent.
(1) http://www.mei.gov.on.ca/en/energy/gea/
Thank you to Warren Graham http://warrengraham.ca/ and others at the Northern Ontario Green Earth Expo for the insight into this potential problem.