FIT and MicroFIT Workshops

We held the FIT and Micro FIT Basics workshop in Hamilton (April 23rd) and Halton (April 24th) and we were quite surprised by some of the new recommendations. For example, the portion that says that members of a co-op must be property owners.
Community Projects
• Small FIT - need 35 Members who are Property Owner
in Community
• Large FIT - need 50 Members who are Property Owner
in Community
Property Owner defined as:
“a natural person that, as of the date two years prior to the
date of an Application, and at the date of such Application
still is, the registered owner of real property in a Municipality
in which a Project described in such Application is (in whole
or in part) located.”

Leasing and Renting seem to be Excluded!

Deadline to Submit your feedback to the OPA on the draft FIT 2.0

April 27th is the deadline to submit your feedback to the Ontario Power Authority on the draft FIT 2.0 rules, contract and definitions. 

Do you want to help improve the program? Then get your input in to the Ontario Power Authority to ensure that they have your great ideas on how to improve the program.

Haven't had time to go through everything yet? OSEA has pulled together helpful documents that can assist you based that include the following:

1. Priority recommendations
2. Secondary recommendations
3. Black lined edits in support of the priority recommendations (already inserted into the OPA reporting form for easy copy and pasting).

You can download the full document here:

OSEA Submission on the Draft FIT 2.0 Rules (PDF)

Here is their summary slide deck of the Priority recommendations which can be downloaded here:
7 things to make FIT 2.0 a success - Minister of Energy and OPA briefing notes(PDF)

They have also left the Appendix containing the black lined recommendations in word format using the OPA's form for easier editing here:

Download the Priority recommendations (Word doc)

The Appendix provides the black lined specific edits to the rules that OSEA is recommending in support of the Primary Recommendations. You will need to cut and paste the comments into your own form which is available athttp://fit.powerauthority.on.ca/comments-welcome-draft-fit-program-rules-and-contract for the FIT and http://microfit.powerauthority.on.ca/results-microfit-program-review-now-available for the MicroFIT programs respectively.  

Email your submission to to the Ontario Power Authority at FITsubmissions@powerauthority.on.ca and CC Minister Chris Bentley at christopher.bentley@ontario.ca

Environment Hamilton's Annual General Meeting

Come on out tonight and meet some of the folks behind the HHEAT project as well as hear from the Environment Hamilton staff about their projects. We will also be hearing from eco-youth across Hamilton and  their involvement with local environmental initatives.
April 19th, 7pm-9pm at the Hamilton Public Library (Central). 55 York Blvd. Hamilton.

HHEAT Guidebook

The HHEAT Guidebook is now available!

This guidebook is for the development of wind, small hydro, solar, and biomass projects in Hamilton and Halton communities under Ontario’s Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) program.

Launched in October 2009, the FIT program makes the vision of a decentralized, community owned power grid much more viable. Ontario’s FIT Program provides long-term fixed price contracts - called Power Purchase Agreements or PPAs - for the energy generated by various types of renewable energy technologies.

This guidebook is divided into three sections. From project conception and development, identifying information and contacting the right groups, we’ve provided links to relevant web sites, resources and reports in three sections:

1. Starting Your Renewable Energy Co-operative
2. Financing Your Renewable Energy Co-operative
3. Co-op Administration and Promotion