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Packet and Times
ORILLIA - City politicians are putting their weight behind a rooftop solar project proposed for Atherley Road.
Earlier this week, council moved to formally support Icarus Power Generation — a Concord-based clean energy provider — in the construction and operation of a solar project on the roof of the Giant Tiger/Dollar Tree building at Atherley Road and Gill Street under the province’s Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program, which subsidizes green energy projects.
Applicants like Icarus who receive the formal support of a municipality on their project will be awarded priority points, increasing the likelihood they will be offered an early contract with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA).
The project is both an investment and a risk, Icarus president Gus Kokkoros told The Packet and Times.
"We want to be able to sell the power within this Feed-in-Tariff program to the OPA," he said. "...We look to reduce the risk by ensuring we have a client when we finish the project and that’s going to be the OPA."
The FIT program does not offer incentives, but rather a "price floor" for power, Kokkoros said.
"We have to incur the entire cost (of the project) ourselves," he added.
There are issues that could arise with the project, even once it's complete.
"You have to prepare for known and unknown operating disasters," said Kokkoros.
For instance, the weather data Icarus has to work with spans approximately 50 years.
"Basically it's the risk of the unknown," Kokkoros said, adding operational issues and roof problems down the road are possibilities as well.
Icarus Power Generation is planning a 160-kilowatt project that would see approximately 640 solar modules installed on top of Giant Tiger/Dollar Tree, according to a report prepared by city staff.
The report states conservative estimates of energy production by the project to be approximately 184,000 kilowatt hours each year.
Orillia seems receptive to renewable energy projects, said Kokkoros, basing the comment on discussions he's had with officials from Orillia Power.
"We have to use Orillia’s distribution network to get the power onto the grid. We have to co-ordinate with them," Kokkoros said.
"I certainly support green energy where it makes sense," said Coun. Tony Madden, who feels that rooftops are an ideal spot for solar panels.
Coun. Pete Bowen agrees, adding he hopes to see more green energy projects pop up throughout Orillia.
"Green energy is the way to go," he said, noting the city is considering rooftop solar panels for upcoming projects like the new fire hall and recreation facility.
"It doesn’t mean we're definitely going to do it, but we will look into (it)," he said.
While green energy is more expensive in the short term because it costs more to generate the electricity than the electricity is sold for, Bowen said, who in the long run, "it will be better for the environment."
Kokkoros hopes to see green energy production reach a point where the FIT program is no longer needed.
"Because there's such a large uptake, it's reducing the cost of building these generators. As you build more, the learning curve levels off," Kokkoros said, noting less labour will be required and fewer exchanges made when it comes to purchasing parts. "Just in the last year alone, there's been more than 30% decrease in the price of solar panels. What that means is pretty soon we can compete against coal power. We’re getting to a point where we can compete on our own without programs such as the feed-in-tariff program and price floors."
