Newington ON – Premier Dalton McGuinty created a lucrative program called “microFIT” for small producers of solar electricity across Ontario. A producer would be able to benefit by selling the electricity on the grid for a subsidized price of 80.2 cents per kilowatt hour. That’s 20 times the price paid for nuclear power. Most of the 16,000 applicants were farmers. An urgent meeting was called in Kemptville this past week warning farmers that things had changed.
OPA (Ontario Power Authority) was concerned that the subsidy could cost Ontario electricity ratepayers an additional $1billion over 20 years, so they slashed the price from 80.2 cents a kilowatt hour to only 58.8 cents per kilowatt hour for farmers only, while still forking out 80.2 cents for electricity generated from the roof-mounted solar panels in urban areas.
Farmers will only make an 11% rate of return on their investment at 58.8 cents compared to the “exorbitant” 25% – 30% at 80.2 cents. Liberal MPP’s across Ontario have been bombarded with calls from farmers who are outraged. They feel they’ve been lied to and betrayed. Where is the justice? and guess where McGuinty gets most his votes?
Tammy A. Hart – Newington
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The OPA Board reads like a poster for Liberals and multiculturism. Of the key deliverables they strive for, #3 tells me they are mostly another administrative arm designed to take the heat and look like something is being done. Of course administration is not cheap from building leasing to IT guys.
3. Plan for and facilitate the development of a cost effective, reliable and sustainable electricity system.
Should this not be already done between Hydro and the Minister of Energy? Even with health care, we see more administration that takes money out for front end users, by the name of Regional Health Networks. Creating employment seems to be the governement role, Why?