Green Energy Act
What is the Green Energy Act?
On May 15th, 2009 Ontario's Legislature passed The Green Energy Act.
The vision of the act is to make Ontario a global leader in the development of renewable energy and conservation while creating thousands of jobs, economic prosperity, and protecting the environment.
Main Objectives:
- Make it easier to bring renewable energy projects to life.
- Create a culture of conservation so that people can go about their lives using less energy.
What will be the results?
The GEA is an integral part of Ontario's Climate Change Strategy and will help achieve the following:
- 25,000 MW of new installed renewable energy by 2025, over and above 2003 levels
- 3,000 MW of new installed CHP by 2025, above levels already in place as of the introduction of this Act
- 6,300 MW of conservation by 2015 (beyond 2007 levels) with an additional 2.5% annual reduction in energy resource needs from Conservation and Demand Management (CDM) between 2011-2027
- 30% reduction in end-use natural gas consumption by 2017
How will Ontario achieve this?
| More Renewables | Culture of Conservation |
|---|---|
| Creating a new, attractive FEED-IN-TARIFF program; a pricing system for renewable energy that will guarantee rates and help spark new investment in renewable energy generation | North America leading energy efficiency standards (Energy Star) for household appliances, including efficient use of water. |
| Establishing the "right to connect" to the electricity grid for renewable projects. | Mandatory home energy audits prior to sale of homes and making energy efficiency a central part of Ontario's Building Code. |
| Establishing a streamlined approval process, including providing service guarantees for renewable energy projects and a Renewable Energy Facilitator | Green provincial government and broader public sector buildings; including the development of conservation plans |
