Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Subsequently, the WPPI was terminated prematurely in 2006 to give way
to a C$1.4 billion ecoENERGY for Renewable Power program which guar-
anteed a similar productive incentive of C$0.010 per kWh over a 10-year
period for all eligible renewable energy projects commissioned between
April 1, 2007 and March 31, 2011.
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Additionally, special tax regulations
were established to permit wind power developers to accelerate write-ofs
of capital equipment.
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Overall, federal subsidies have been too triling to make wind power a
commercially attractive investment in most parts of Canada. To this point
in time, the policy initiatives of the provincial governments have driven
Canadian wind power development, with policies in Ontario, Quebec, and
Alberta warranting special attention.
he roots of the wind power development boom in Ontario sprung from
the province's Integrated Power System Plan, irst released by the Ontario
Power Authority (OPA) in 2007 to guide strategic development of provincial
electricity infrastructure. he plan called for commissioning 4,600 MW of
wind power by 2020. In support of this target, the OPA issued a series of
requests for proposal (RFP), which in 2009 elicited about 1,400 MW of new
wind power installation contracts. In March 2009, the Ontario government
changed policy direction and decided to discontinue the RFP approach,
instead opting for a feed-in tarif (FIT) program that was legally mandated
under a new Green Energy Act. his FIT became North America's irst guar-
anteed renewable energy development program. Currently, the FIT guaran-
tees a purchase price of C$0.11 per kWh for wind power, plus incentives up
to an additional C$0.02 per kWh, contingent upon community or aborigi-
nal participation in any given project. As of December 2012, the FIT has
induced another 600 MW of installed wind power capacity; however, the
program has not been without controversy. In January 2013, the Ontario
provincial government declared a moratorium on ofshore wind power proj-
ects due to environmental concerns.
here has also been considerable opposition to further onshore wind
power development led by groups such as Wind Concerns Ontario and
Ontario Wind Resistance. Aside from the typical charges that wind power
disrupts avian ecosystems, impairs landscape aesthetics and lowers land
values (all of which have not been empirically substantiated), there has
been a renewed focus in Ontario on the impact of wind system noise on
human well-being. here have been additional calls for a moratorium on
wind power development until a study into the matter by Health Canada is
released in 2014. To date, the province has rejected such appeals.
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However,
opposition has undeniably dampened the fervor surrounding wind power
development in the province.
