Blog  November 18, 2011

Ontario’s Clean Technology Revolution

Last year, Ontario installed 168 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity, surpassing New Jersey as the second leading North American jurisdiction for new solar projects during 2010.

In the same week that we installed a new solar thermal hot water system at Evergreen Brick Works, a flurry of investment activity has further expanded Ontario’s network of renewable energy products and services. The province has attracted more than $20 billion in renewable energy investment commitments since it launched its Feed-in-Tariff(FIT) program two years ago.

The largest single commitment is a $7 billion investment by South Korea’s Samsung C&T Corp. In addition to Toronto, Windsor and Tillsonburg, where Samsung will produce solar inverters, wind turbines and blades, the company announced it would manufacture solar modules in London, Ontario, creating 200 new green energy jobs in that city.

This summer, MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. and SunEdison, its solar energy subsidiary, along with manufacturing partner Flextronics, announced expanded manufacturing capacity to deploy rooftop solar panels on municipal buildings in Newmarket, with an expectation of generating 400 green energy jobs along with 1.17 megawatts of solar capacity.

Ontario offers North America’s most advanced green energy policies for clean technology companies, especially with the passage of the Green Energy Act in May 2009. Modeled after successful programs in Germany and France, the Ontario Power Authority’s FIT Program features North America’s first comprehensive, guaranteed pricing structure for renewable electricity production, offering stable prices under long-term contracts for solar photovoltaic, on-shore and off-shore wind, biomass, biogas, landfill gas and waterpower energy.

Ontario is already home to 110 head offices of clean technology companies, and Sustainable Development Technology Canada projects that by 2015, these Ontario clean technology companies will generate revenues in excess of $1 billion. In addition there are more than 2,800 environmental industry companies in Ontario, generating approximately $7 billion in revenue and employing 65,000 people.