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Media Release/Communiqué
For Immediate Release: January 19, 2007
BCSEA welcomes
restoration of renewable energy
programs, but asks: “Is That All There Is?”
VICTORIA--The BC Sustainable Energy Association
(BCSEA) welcomes today’s federal government announcement
that funding for renewable energy programs put in place by
the previous Liberal government has been unfrozen, but is
underwhelmed by the announcement's scope, and searches in
vain for anything new.
“The European Union’s goal is that
20% of its energy should come from renewable sources by 2020
– and here we have Canada aiming for 3.4% of our electricity
from new renewables by 2017,” said Guy Dauncey, President
of the BCSEA. “By 2017, this may account for less than
2% as conventional power production continues to grow.”
The planned 4,000 MW from new renewables by
2017, announced today, is a small fraction (3.4%) of Canada’s
current 118,000 MW overall power production. “Canada’s
Clean Air Renewable Energy Coalition is calling for 12,000
MW by 2010," said Dauncey. "This government should
support this goal, and set a further target of 25,000 MW from
new renewables by 2017.”
When the Conservatives came into power they
cancelled or froze many programs, including the Wind Power
Production Incentive (WPPI), designed to stimulate the production
of 4,000 MW of new wind power by 2010, and the Renewable Energy
Deployment Initiative (REDI), which provided 25% subsidy for
solar heating systems for commercial buildings.
They also froze a third Liberal program that
had been planned but not yet funded – the
Renewable Power Production Incentive (RPPI), designed to stimulate
the production of a further 1,500 MW of power from other renewables.
The new announcement merges WPPI and RPPI into one program,
renaming it the ecoENERGY for Renewable Power (EERP), and
spells out the inclusion of solar PV (photovoltaic), small
hydro, biomass, geothermal, tidal and wave technologies in
the program.
While the reinstatement of funding for these
programs is very welcome, the program may not produce all
the desired results. “The intention that this investment
will support solar, tidal and wave technologies may be overly
optimistic”, said Kevin Pegg, President of Energy Alternatives
Ltd, and Vice-President of the BC Sustainable Energy Association.
“One cent for wind is helpful, but one cent per kilowatt
hour for solar PV will do very little to encourage the market.
In Ontario, by contrast, the provincial government pays 42
cents per kilowatt hour for solar.”
Ontario's new incentive system, designed to promote new, green
electrical generation (known as the Standard Offer Program),
pays 11 cents per kilowatt hour to wind, hydro and biomass
powered systems under 10 MW, which is an effective support
of 5 cents per kilowatt hour more than the base price paid
for electricity.
The BCSEA also welcomes the investment of $36
million for solar heating systems, since this restores the
Renewable Energy Deployment Initiative (REDI), which provided
a 25% subsidy for solar heating systems for commercial buildings.
The Conservatives have renamed this EcoENERGY for Renewable
Heat (EERH).
The new program will also help the use of solar
hot water to grow since it provides much-needed support for
the development of the relevant standards, certification and
changes to building codes.
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The BC Sustainable Energy Association is a non-profit
association of citizens, professionals and practitioners,
committed to promoting the understanding, development, and
adoption of sustainable energy and energy conservation and
efficiency in British Columbia. www.bcsea.org
Contacts:
Guy Dauncey, President - 250-881-1304
Kevin Pegg: Vice-president - 250-727-0522
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