Other FIT facts:

• Micro-generation systems (<=10kW) have a simplified application process and have no application fee
• Contracts are transferable (i.e. if you sell your house you can sell your contract too)
• Income from the FIT and MicroFIT programs is taxable business income. The investment is depreciable against it and other income (consult your tax advisor)
• Systems are eligible for HST tax credits

If you looked at the MicroFIT program a long time ago, you'll see some changes in the current rules:

In general, the changes appear to strongly favour smaller urban rooftop installations over any other type.

• The OPA will be implementing an Annual Procurement Limit to define how much project capacity it wishes to fund each year. The goal is to reach Ontario's target of 10,700MW of non-hydro renewable by 2015. They have committed to an immediate release of 50MW of microFIT contracts "as soon as possible".
• The OPA has firmed up the application process. Firm timelines will now be in place for each step of the process. This is a step in the right direction as it gives more certainty to the projects that will proceed and does not allow people to sit on project capacity that could otherwise be used by someone else. Once past initial OPA hurdles, Applicants will have 30 days to obtain utility company Connection Agreement, then 6 months to build the project. There are many scenarios whereby the OPA can cancel your application (missed deadlines, mainly). Be extremely vigilant about your application process. Better still, let us do it for you.
• The project limit is now one microFIT contract per individual/farmer, not per property. This does not seem to support increased renewable installations in Ontario, but does hold system capacity for more individuals to participate.
• The definition of Namplate Capacity has changed to the LARGER of PV array size (in kW) or inverter size (in kW). So maximum array size is now 10kWDC, whereas Version 1 permitted over-size arrays on a 10kW inverter bank.
• Ground mounted solar systems are not allowed on (or near) residentially zoned land. If they are on industrial land, they cannot be the primary use of this type of land. MicroFIT systems are still allowed on agricultural land provided residential use is ancillary (most family farms will still qualify, provided they don't abut residential lands). This will, unfortunately, limit ground mounts in rural residential areas, regardless of property size, proximity to neighbours, etc.
• Pricing will be updated every year in January.

See also our FAQ (seriously, there's some good stuff there).

Some sources of concern are:

• Lack of familiarity. What does that blinking light mean? Why is it doing <....>? How do I know it's working?
• Inverter monitoring and communications: very common source of problems, but usually owing to changes or weaknesses in the owner's home network.
• Questions about system performance: Am I getting as much energy generated as I should be getting?
• Problems with paperwork from the OPA or local distribution company

For these and any other concerns we want to be sure that our installation meets your expectations for quality, performance, and function and if we can't solve the problem over the phone, then we'll come to your site. In order to provide high quality and responsive on-site service we keep our working radius to generally a 1 hour radius of our Peterborough home base. This includes Peterborough, Norwood, Havelock, Madoc, Lakefield, Northumberland, Cobourg, Port Hope, Clarington, Port Perry, Lindsay, Oshawa, Kawartha Lakes, Buckhorn, Apsley, Fenelon Falls, Tweed, and many points in those areas. We do work further afield for special projects.

So ask the contractors you're having quote your job where their home base is. If it's more than 90 minutes away, you can be sure that they will be hesitant to send someone out to investigate a problem because it's just too costly to have that person spend so much time in a truck.

Buy local for best service.

New Price Schedule:

Other significant points:

• One MicroFIT per owner (was one per property)
• CFIT (Commercial FIT, MicroFIT for businesses) will not be launched
• No indication about procedure for the new price tranches (ie 10 - 100kW)
• MicroFIT projects must be completed in 6 months from approval (same as before); FIT projects must be completed in 18 months (was 3 years)

Read the full FIT review report here.

Next Steps: The review was conducted by the Ministry of Energy and constitutes recommendations to the Ontario Power Authority (OPA). The OPA will now create rules and processes to meet the recommendations. No word on how long that will take. Final conclusions on the success of the FIT review will depend on the details established in the new rules.

Check back often for updates!

]]> tag:www.generationsolar.com,2012://2.45 2012-03-01T20:50:48Z 2012-03-01T21:13:17Z

The Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) has released an update regarding the Ontario Feed-In-Tariff review that is underway:

Ongoing discussions between Ministry of Energy and CanSIA staff have continued throughout the FIT review process. More recently, on February 15th, CanSIA met with the Ontario Premier's Office.

We understand that the Ministry of Energy is carefully reviewing almost 3,000 submissions and is now in the process of making decisions on some of the major program elements, such as FIT prices, local consultations, and the Renewable Energy Approval (REA) process.

The Ministry of Energy and the Premiers Office have stated their commitment to release the results of the review and restart the FIT process as quickly as possible. CanSIA continues to advocate the need to expedite the review, and changes that are needed to the program so that we can bring to fruition a strong solar industry in Ontario. At the same time, CanSIA continues to advise against changes that could harm the solar industry or put jobs and investments at risk.

In particular, CanSIA continues to stress the urgency to have the microFIT program restarted as soon as possible and before the rest of the FIT program. The Ministry of Energy is taking this advice under consideration.

Read the full document: CanSIA Update: Ontario FIT Review

Comments from Deputy Minister Fareed Amin were released February 7th, 2012.

So, no news is no news. Not much of an update but, there you have it just the same. We continue to await release of the new rates and rules in order to get your projects underway, and will keep you updated as new information is available.

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How to avoid fraudulently submitted MicroFIT applications

Control access to the following information:

• Local Distribution Company (LDC) account number and name on the account
• Legal description of your property (lot, concession, etc.)
• Property Instrument Number (PIN)
• Tax roll number

Only give this information to a contractor once you've decided to work with that contractor and have a signed contract that clearly indicates how the application process will proceed. Only work with a contractor who gives you access to the MicroFIT project web portal (username and password).

What if there is an application already submitted?

If you know or suspect that an application has been made without your explicit consent then demand confirmation from the contractor and demand access to the OPA MicroFIT web portal (username and password). Once you have access change the password. If you do not get access to the web portal then contact the OPA and send them all the information listed above. Request the status of any applications connected to any of those pieces if identity and explain your suspicion of fraudulently submitted applications. Don't expect to hear back for 3 weeks.

If a contractor started an application for you are you tied to that contractor?

No. You are only bound by any contract that you may have signed. If there is no contract and you wish to not proceed with that contractor than demand access to your web portal and change the password. If you signed a contract and changed your mind you may be liable for costs to the contractor as outlined in your contract.

If a contract application exists always try to get control of it, rather than having it terminated. That way you get the benefit of the early time stamp on the original application vs the later time stamp on a new application

]]> tag:www.generationsolar.com,2011://2.43 2011-11-16T13:40:12Z 2011-11-16T16:07:12Z

The MicroFIT and FIT program review process includes the temporary suspension of the program during the review. This means that any applications submitted today will be subject to whatever the new rules and pricing is once the review process is finished. How can plan your project without knowing the terms and pricing that you'll get?

MicroFIT

There is no cost to apply to the MicroFIT program. There is no risk to apply. By applying now you reserve your place in the queue once the OPA resumes processing applications based on the new rules. If you don't like the new terms you can abandon your application. We recommend proceeding with an application. We can help.

FIT

FIT applications require a small amount of work and a modest application fee. The OPA has pledged to refund application fees for applicants unhappy with the revised terms. FIT applications, then, are free of risk and valuable for securing a spot in the processing queue. We recommend proceeding with an application.Contact us and we can help.

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Unlike Ontario, the UK appears to be going about this in a transparent and fair manner. Namely:

• The UK government is sharing the financial assumptions and evaluations on which it is basing its decisions; and
• The effectivity of the changes will be after they're announced, giving the whole supply chain time to adapt to the change while still actually operating on the existing pipeline of projects.

There are differences, of course, between the two programs. The UK program is funded from a set reserve that is intended to last a set number of years. If the reserve runs out early, the program won't be achieving its time targets. This closed-end program has clear limits to work within. The Ontario program is open-ended, and that makes people very edgy.

Another difference is scale, but this is interesting: The UK program, which is a bit younger than the Ontario program, has encouraged over 100,000 household-scale systems to be installed since it started, totalling over 400MW of production. In Ontario, up to the end of October, the MicroFIT program has resulted in a mere 8,494 connected projects totalling 73MW of installed capacity. The 'success' of the UK program is evident (in the context of needing to throttle back); that of the Ontario program is less so. (Apparently there is a large number of MicroFIT projects in the queue, but for some reason this does not seem to be translating into actual construction; we're not sure why.)

Of course the best example of a FIT working well remains Germany, where FIT price degression is prescriptive based on installed capacity. IE if the market grows by X, the rate will drop by Y. If the market fails to grow by X, the FIT rate will not drop until it does. This creates a very stable marketplace because the entire industry knows exactly how large the market will be at a given FIT rate, and so can plan accordingly. Note that Germany is on track to install 5000MW of solar in 2011 alone.

• FIT Rule 7.1(b) stipulates that

  The price incorporated into the FIT Contract that will be offered to applicants whose Applications have been accepted ... will be the applicable price as set out in the Price Schedule at the time of the Time Stamp.

  The Time Stamp is the date and time of electronic submission, as defined in Section 4.1(a). Clearly, back-dating the effectiveness of this change violates rule 7.1(b)
• FIT Rule 10.1(b) stipulates that

  Notice of any Amendment as a result of a Scheduled Program Review will be posted on the Website at least 30 days prior to the effective date of such Amendment.

  For MicroFIT rule 7(b) states

  Notice of any amendment as a result of a Scheduled Program Review will be posted on the microFIT Program website at least 90 days before the effective date of the amendment

  Clearly, then, the earliest possible effectivity date for any changes as a result of this review would be 30 days (90 days for microFIT) after October 31st, when the Scheduled Program Review was announced. Any applications Time Stamped prior to that should be eligible for the rules prior to the Amendment.
• The FIT program was conceived to help create a stable and predictable market for renewable energy in Ontario and thereby establish and grow a new manufacturing sector. This point was made several times during the OPA conference call on November 2nd, 10am EDT. By back-dating the effectiveness of the Program Review and by having an open-ended program review the OPA is starving the market of projects that were applied for long ago and effectively blocking the market from securing new projects until the completion of the Review (and a known set of program rules and pricing). This is yet another in a series of disruptions to the marketplace by the OPA, the sum of which acts as a tremendous disincentive to all levels of the supply chain: Customers lose confidence in the solidity of the program and, by association, the viability of the technology; the entire pipeline of work dries up forcing layoffs by installers, distributors, and manufacturers; and financiers lose confidence in Ontario as a place to invest. This is not a stable and predictable market.

The OPA and the Minister of Energy need to be called out on these apparent contract violations and clear market disruptions. Supporters of solar in Ontario should contact their MPP and the Minister of Energy and complain that the FIT Review Process is flawed and is causing significant harm to a nascent industry that is only just getting established.

Here's a link to the announcement

Email Minister Bentley

The website also provides one location for interested individuals to show their support for solar energy and the government programs that help to make Ontario and Canada a positive environment for investment in solar energy production.

Check out ShineONtario as well -- another solar advocacy website, sponsored by some large companies active in Ontario.

Also see Wattsnext for a map of renewable energy projects in Ontario.

CanSIA, Canada's solar advocate, is working to support the solar industry's bid to have solar energy widely deployed throughout Canada as a recognized and established component of Canada's energy mix, enabled by a solar industry that competes on a global playing field. By 2015, the solar industry is expected to support more than 35,000 jobs in the economy and displace 15 to 31 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year, providing a safer, cleaner environment for generations to come.

(snipped shamelessly from the conference web site)

See this link for more information and to register.

The website also provides one location for interested individuals to show their support for solar energy and the government programs that help to make Ontario and Canada a positive environment for investment in solar energy production.

Check out ShineONtario as well -- another solar advocacy website, sponsored by some large companies active in Ontario.

Also see Wattsnext for a map of renewable energy projects in Ontario.