FEDERAL ECOENERGY INITIATIVE BUILDS ON REDI

No. 9, April 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PEI to host Canada’s largest PV system. . . . . . . 2PV projects get standard offer contracts. . . . . . . 3Pre-packaged SDHW system certified. . . . . . . . 4SDHW information package available. . . . . . . . . 4BC Energy Plan offers promise. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Manufacturer reaches milestones . . . . . . . . . 6Research facility planned for Toronto. . . . . . . . . 6Net zero home winners announced. . . . . . . . . . . 7Conference planning underway. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Solar Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Solar training courses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Program Disregards PV

See BUDGET page 10

The federal government has of-ficially launched the EcoEnergy forRenewable Heat (ERH) program,picking up from and expanding ona preceding solar thermal supportinitiative. “It’s a big step in the rightdirection,” says CanSIA presidentAndrew van Doorn, who adds ad-vocacy work is still needed to en-courage greater support for thephotovoltaic industry.

The $1.5 billion EcoEnergy Re-newable Initiative, announced inJanuary, is divided into the $1.48billion EcoEnergy for RenewablePower (ERP) program, and the$36 million ERH program, bothimplemented in April and runningfrom 2007-2011.

ERH is targeted at solar waterand air heating and geothermaltechnologies, and a Natural Re-sources Canada (NRCan) newsrelease says it will support “a mixof incentives and support for thedevelopment of industry capacity.”The incentive component, set at25% of the purchase and installa-tion of a qualifying system, will beoffered to purchasers of solar heat-ing systems in the industrial, com-mercial and institutional sectors.“Preliminary estimates suggestthat, by 2011, the program will sup-port the installation of solar spaceand water heating in about 700buildings,” says the release.

The incentive is fundamentallya repackaging of its predecessor,the Renewable Energy Deploy-ment Initiative (REDI), which offi-cially concluded March 31.

“We have a longer commit-ment—four years is being seen asoffering some stability—and thereis a bigger budget,” says vanDoorn. “We interpret this as a com-mitment to the industry.”

Van Doorn says CanSIA andNRCan are both looking at waysto make the REDI funding methodmore efficient under ERH. As itstands, applicants provide bills anddocumentary evidence of qualify-ing costs, and NRCan calculatesthe 25% incentive. Van Doorn saysCanSIA is proposing a financialvalue be determined, per squaremetre, for each qualifying solarthermal technology. NRCan couldthen multiply that value by thenumber of square metres of in-stalled collector area, documentedin a commissioning report, toquantify the federal payment.

“It’s not done yet,” he says, “butwe’re going to be looking at this tosee if there is merit to changing the

25% to something more straight-forward and easier to apply. Onboth sides, it would reduce a lot ofwork, reviewing individual bills,determining actual system costsand double-checking costs. Itwould simplify the whole process.”

An ERH improvement NRCanhas already declared is a federalcommitment to residential solarheating. In partnership with utilitycompanies, energy service com-panies, community groups andother stakeholders, the ministrysays “projects will be undertakento explore” ways of increasing themarket for residential solar hot-wa-ter systems, and it predicts ERHwill result in installations “in sev-eral thousand homes across thecountry.” Van Doorn says the in-dustry has been asking for this foryears, and early discussions withthe ministry indicate a $9-miillion,

Andrew van Doorn

We have a longercommitment—four

years is being seen asoffering some stabil-ity—and there is abigger budget. Weinterpret this as acommitment to the

industry.

“

”

EDITORMcKibben and Baileymc.b@shaw.ca

PRINTED IN CANADA BYGilmore Printing Services Inc.

ADDRESS2378 Holly Lane, Suite 208Ottawa, Ontario K1V 7P1T: +1 613 736 9077 or 1 866 522 6742F: +1 613 736 8938E-mail: info@cansia.caWebsite: www.cansia.ca

CANSIA STAFFKrista Mayer - Research OfficerAnne Beaudry - Membership DevelopmentJessica McClay - Assistant Project ManagerSharon Henry - Office Manager

CANSIA BOARD OF DIRECTORSAndrew van Doorn - PresidentRichard Thorne - Vice-PresidentBrent Harris - TreasurerDavid Elzinga - SecretaryDavid Kelly - ST Division ChairVictoria Hollick - STJean-Pierre Pawliw - STSteve Wiebe - PV Division Chair

CORPORATE ICarmanah Technologies CorporationSunEdison, LLCToronto Hydro CorporationXantrex Technology Inc.

CORPORATE IIARISE Technologies CorporationConserval EngineeringEnersol Solar Products Inc.Enerworks Inc.ETI SOLARICP Solar TechnologiesKyocera Solar, Inc.Matrix Energy Inc.NRG ManagementOntario Electrical Construction Company LimitedOpen Energy CorporationPowerLight CorporationSANYO Canada Inc.SolarOntario.com Ltd.Sunsolar Energy Technologies Inc.Sustainable Energy TechnologiesTaylor Munro Energy Systems Inc.Techno-Solis Inc.

SUPPORTER ICanada Mortgage and Housing CorporationEnvironment Canada - Oil, Gas and Energy Branch

CanSIA SOLutions2

CanSIA’s MISSION:

To develop a strong, efficient, ethical and

professional Canadian solar industry, able

to service an expanding domestic market,

to provide innovative solar solutions to

world energy problems, and to play a

major role in promoting the transition to a

solar energy future worldwide.

CANSIA MEMBERSHIP

April 2007

Voting• Corporate I:

25+ employees or revenue>$3 million – $5,000

• Corporate II:6-24 employees or revenue

> $1 million – $1,500• Corporate III:

3-5 employees – $800• Corporate IV:

1-2 employees – $400

Non-voting• Large government

departments, utilities andenergy regulators: $1,000

• Small governmentdepartments and small

distribution companies: $500• Large non-profits and

educational institutions: $400• Small non-profits and

community groups: $250• Advocate/individual: $100

• Students (Must supply copyof student ID): $50

See GREEN page 9

Victoria-based Carmanah Tech-nologies, through a federal con-tract with the Ministry of PublicWorks & Government ServicesCanada (PWGSC), is about to helpraise the bar for the country’s larg-est installed photovoltaic systemwith a 108 kW project inCharlottetown, Prince Edward Is-land.

The company announced it wonthe $1.42 million contract in earlyMarch. With commissioningscheduled for July, the grid-tiedsystem will use an array of about500 Sanyo solar modules, supply-ing the Jean Canfield Building with

MINISTRY LEADS IN PV DEVELOPMENT

about 10% of its electricity de-mand. The four-storey building, stillunder construction, will houseabout 500 civil servants, and anews release says the ministry in-tends it “to become a nationalshowcase for sustainable andgreen design.”

PWGSC’s plan is to be certifiedgold under the Leadership in En-ergy and Environmental Design(LEED) green building rating sys-tem, created in the US but recentlymodified and adopted by theCanada Green Building Council.

3April 2007

STANDARD OFFER CONTRACTS ANNOUNCED

CanSIA SOLutions

See SIMPLIFIED page 8

The Ontario Power Authority(OPA) has signed standard offercontracts with three photovoltaicprojects that will bring nearly 23kW of new PV capacity onto theprovincial power grid.

The contracts are among thefirst to be awarded under Ontario’srenewable energy standard offerprogram (SOP), which began ac-cepting applications in Novemberand guarantees 42¢/kWh to grid-tied PV projects less than 10 MWon a 20-year term.

In addition to the 23 kW of PV,14 wind projects totalling 129.5MW have been contracted, as wellas three bioenergy facilities with acombined capacity of 10.2 MW,and two hydro projects totalling2.45 MW. CanSIA PV committeechair Steve Wiebe says the“groundbreaking” program is a bigstep in the right direction for thesolar industry, but the project listis a good indicator that more mayneed to be done to encourage PVsubscribers.

“The province went with a con-servative rate thinking if there’s notenough subscription there’s roomto increase it,” he says. “I hopethat’s what they’re thinking, and Ihope that’s what they’ll do afterlooking at these numbers.”

During initial SOP consultations,says Wiebe, CanSIA recom-mended the PV tariff be 85¢/kWh.When it appeared solar powermight be dropped from the pro-gram because the price was un-palatable, the association tem-pered its position, estimating a 42¢tariff would drive the installation of15,000 residential PV systems to-talling 40 MW by 2011. Now, saysWiebe, people are surprised atwhat appears to be low solar en-rolment.

“I think the industry was initiallyfairly optimistic, but when you lookat the payback figures for a resi-

PV Industry Waits for Greater Indication of Success

Firefly Energy’s Richard Mash and Tina McAuley with one of the first solar projectscontracted under Ontario’s standard offer program. The company, offering Ontarians long-term, fixed-price natural gas and electricity agreements, uses the 9.9 kW PV system as amarketing tool.

Fire

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dential system you have to bepretty philosophic before you in-vest. And as a pure investmentopportunity, the figures are goingto have to be quite a bit better.”

The pure investment opportu-nity, which would result in largernon-residential PV installations, iscertainly being contemplated inOntario. In direct response to theSOP, Baltimore-based SunEdisonLLC and SkyPower Corporation ofToronto announced the creation ofa joint venture to develop, build,own and operate up to 50 MW ofsolar PV parks across the prov-ince. And Richard Wayte of Victo-ria-based Carmanah Technolo-gies, which has an office in Barrie,says the company is looking at sixor seven megawatts of projects inOntario because of the SOP.

“There is a lot of stuff in devel-opment,” says Wayte. “I haven’tseen anything significant land yet,but we’re talking to a lot of people.There are a lot of proposals outthere, and they are under seriousconsideration.”

The largest of the contracted PV

projects is the 10 kW SmokeyCreek Farm system, followed by a9.9 kW project installed last yearby FireFly Energy, a company of-fering Ontarians long-term, fixed-price natural gas and electricityagreements—the 51 moduleswere meeting most of the powerdemand at FireFly’s Guelph office,but the power now goes to the lo-cal distribution company. The thirdis a 3 kW residential project inStouffville owned by SalvatoreAmenta. Steve Eng, an engineerwith Markham, Ontario’s Enviro-Energy Technologies, will installAmenta’s system. He says the pro-gram is a good thing but early PVadopters are finding the applica-tion procedure an “onerous” proc-ess.

“I have at least four or five othercustomers going through this proc-ess, and we’re still in the applica-tion process, trying to find out fromthe utility what the transformer sta-tion and the transmission feederstation names are. Most home-

April 2007

NEW CANSIA SOLARTHERMAL DOCUMENTS

NOW AVAILABLE

CanSIA SOLutions4

See INFORMATION page 11

CERTIFICATION INCHES FORWARDFirst pre-packaged SDHW system gets CSA seal

See MANUFACTURERS page 10

Canadian Standards Associa-tion International (CSAI), the or-ganization that applies the ubiqui-tous CSA seal of approval on con-sumer and building productsacross the country, has certifiedCanada’s first pre-packaged solardomestic hot water (SDHW) sys-tem. It is a milestone inthe progress of the so-lar industry, but CanSIApresident Andrew vanDoorn says members ofthe association are notcelebrating.

“Competitively, itdoesn’t seem right,” saysvan Doorn. “Last time Ichecked there were 17or 18 applicants waiting,and unfortunately theprocess for a number ofreasons is dragging on forever.There’s a feeling of genuine con-cern, and people are experiencinga lot of frustration.”

The move to certification is be-coming an essential quality deter-minant for solar thermal supportprograms, and building inspectorsroutinely depend on the CSA sealto approve plumbing products andinstallations. The federal govern-ment, through the now-defunctRenewable Energy DeploymentInitiative (REDI), decided to pay upto 90% of the cost of certifying pre-packaged SDHW systems.

Currently, Bodycote MaterialsTesting, which runs the NationalSolar Test Facility (NSTF) inMississauga, Ontario, is approvedto assist CSAI, the organizationwithin the CSA group that dealswith certification, to assist with test-ing some of the solar-specific as-pects of the systems. The federalcontribution agreement requiressolar industry applicants to submittesting quotes from CSAI andBodycote to Natural ResourcesCanada (NRCan).

By last fall, NRCan had received

CanSIA has just completedtwo new publishing projectspromoting residential solarthermal water heating, whichwill help builders, engineersand homeowners understandand select solar technologies.

Assistant project managerJessica McClay says theCanSIA solar domestic hotwater (SDHW) performancedirectory, an electronic publi-cation in PDF format, is nowdown-loadable from the asso-ciation’s website. It’s designedfor homeowners or building-and renewable-industry pro-fessionals contemplating asolar hot water installationand seeking product informa-tion.

The directory lists informa-tion about Canadian manu-facturers as well as foreign-made products availablewithin the country, and isgeared to the domestic, resi-dential-type system, saysMcClay.

“The size of the packagedsystems dictate a residentialapplication,” she explains, “butthe collector information couldbe extended to larger instal-lations.” There will also be fun-damental information onSDHW technologies andproduct comparison tables,which will make it easier forreaders to evaluate thermaloutput relative to cost andsize.

“It will provide a realisticidea of what solar can do foryou—the benefits it can havefor your energy consumption,and compare different prod-ucts.”

The 2007 SDHW perform-ance directory is new, but the

Bod

ycot

e M

ater

ials

Tes

ting

Can

ada

Inc.

The solar test lab at Bodycote MaterialsTesting Canada Inc. is being used to certifysolar domestic hot water systems.

applications from 16 manufactur-ers looking to certify 21 systems,and many had submitted quote re-quests to CSAI and Bodycote. InNovember 2006, Ontario-basedEnerWorks Inc., a manufacturer ofsolar thermal collectors and waterheating systems, became the first

Canadian manufacturer to receivecertification for its pre-packagedSDHW system. But the companysubmitted the system to CSAI inOctober 2005.

“There have been all manner ofdelays,” says NRCan’s BruceSibbitt, “from response times at dif-ferent organizations, to interrup-tions in REDI funding and equip-ment limitations at the test facility,and weather. We had a terrible fall,and the 30-day exposure periodrequires a specific quantity of ra-diation on each of those 30 days.That took an incredibly long time.It hasn’t been easy.”

The new Conservative govern-ment froze REDI funding for thefirst half of 2006, and then the pro-gram ran out of money in Decem-ber. Two manufacturers, Ener-Works and Copperhill AlternativeEnergy Inc., were able to sign acontribution agreement before

CanSIA SOLutionsApril 2007 5

NEW BC ENERGY PLAN OFFERS OPPORTUNITYBC has released a new energy

strategy document outlining am-bitions to curb greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions, promote re-newable resources, implement afixed-tariff program for small-scalegeneration, and develop energyefficiency standards for new build-ings.

“The most important part of thisplan is the clear overriding goalfor clean energy and greenhousegas reductions,” says JoeThwaites, president of TaylorMunro Energy Systems, a Van-couver-area company that spe-cializes in solar water heating.“Those big goals are critical. Eve-rything will fall from that.”

Thwaites says the province’sapproach to climate change in re-cent months represents a “seachange in attitude.” And while thebroad intent of The BC EnergyPlan: A Vision for Clean EnergyLeadership is aimed at provincialenergy self sufficiency and GHGreduction, the document containsspecific policy ambitions certainto capture the interest of BC’ssolar thermal and photovoltaic in-dustries.

“This is an opportunity to en-gage in constructive dialogue,”says Thwiates. “There’s an oppor-tunity for programs to be put inplace.”

Highlights for the solar thermalindustry include the intent to ac-quire 50% of BC Hydro’s incre-mental electricity demand throughconservation by 2020. One policyaction to help attain this goal isthe development of energy effi-cient building standards, a com-mitment also included in the gov-ernment’s February speech fromthe throne, which promised “anew unified BC Green BuildingCode.” Working with industry,stakeholders and local govern-ments, the province will imple-ment the standards for new build-ings by 2010. “Regulated stand-

Energy, Mines and Petroleum ResourcesMinister Richard Neufeld introduced BC’snew energy plan at Carmanah Technologiesin Victoria.

Car

man

ah T

echn

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ies

ards for buildings are a centralcomponent of energy efficiencyprograms in leading jurisdictionsthroughout the world,” says the newenergy plan.

Thwaites believes mandatorysolar heating technologies shouldbe on the table as industry andgovernment work out the details ofwhat those standards will be. “Ithink using the building code as ameasure for promoting solar is areally good instrument. It has beenvery successful in Barce-lona, and it spread throughSpain. It’s spreading nowthroughout other parts ofEurope, where solar domes-tic hot water systems are anentrenched part of buildingtechnology and are part ofthe code.”

The plan also includes apilot project for energy per-formance labelling of homesand buildings, and utilitieswill “be encouraged to ex-plore and develop rate de-signs to encourage effi-ciency, conservation and thedevelopment of renewableenergy.”

Promising once again towork with industry andstakeholders, the government alsosays it will “promote energy effi-ciency and alternative energy sys-tems, such as solar thermal andgeothermal throughout the prov-ince.” One specific suggestion isthat these technologies can besupplemented by natural gas.

Broad ambitions that will appealto the photovoltaic industry alsoappear in the new energy plan, in-cluding pronouncements the prov-ince must be capable of meetingall its own electricity needs by2016, that “clean or renewable”power will account for at least 90%of total generation, and all new gen-eration will achieve zero net green-house gas (GHG) emissions.

Of critical interest to CanSIA and

the BC PV industry is the prov-ince’s intention to establish a“standing offer contract” for cleanelectricity or high efficiency elec-tricity cogeneration projects. Trans-mission or distribution connectedgenerators of 10 MW or less willbe eligible to receive a set price,yet to be determined, provided theymeet the province’s definition forrenewables or cogenerate heat andpower with an overall efficiency of80%. The contracts will be for non-

firm energy, and the province hasspecified there will be no initialquota for this type of supply.

“This is something we have beenrecommending for a long time,”says Guy Dauncey, president of theBC Sustainable Energy Associa-tion. “Our only concern is the pricethat will be offered to producers ofsolar, wind and tidal energy.”

The strategy document says thecontract price will be based on theprices paid in the most recent BCHydro energy call, but Daunceythinks the province should follow

See TASK page 12

April 2007 CanSIA SOLutions

GAS-FIRED PLANTTO ACCOMMODATE

PV RESEARCH

6

ARISE TAKES FLIGHT WITH PV PLAN

Ontario’s ARISE TechnologiesCorp. says it has reached “tech-nology milestones” in the develop-ment of a new method to producesolar-grade silicon and patentablePV cells.

“While we still have a lot of workto do, this provides the foundationfor an exciting R&D program in2007,” said ARISE president andCEO Ian MacLellan in a news re-lease.

“Most importantly, these resultshave confirmed our technologystrategy as we enter into the de-tailed planning stage for our pro-posed manufacturing programs inGermany and Canada.”

ARISE’s application for a $6.5million grant to build a siliconfeedstock pilot plant on the northcampus of the University of Wa-terloo has been approved by theSustainable Development Tech-nology Corporation (SDTC), setup by the federal government tosupport new environmental tech-nology. The SDTC money will beleveraged by a $13.3 million cashand in-kind commitment from aconsortium of partners led byARISE. Consortium agreementsmust be in place before the SDTCcontribution agreement is final-ized, but the company expectsthat process will be complete bythe end of the first quarter of 2007.

Publicly traded on the TorontoStock Exchange and FrankfurtOpen Market Exchange, ARISEbelieves its entrance to the solar-grade silicon market will be welltimed, projecting tight supply forsilicon feedstock over the nextthree to five years. It is also pro-moting a novel silicon recoverytechnology that reduces waste inthe ingot/wafer slicing process.

A milestone recently an-nounced by the company is theproduction of high purity siliconsamples in two different laborato-ries. Now that the process is pro-

The University of Toronto,ARISE Technologies and ThePortlands Energy Centre(PEC) have joined forces tocreate what the trio are call-ing Canada’s largest solar re-search facility, to be located onthe PEC site on Toronto’s wa-terfront.

In a news release, OntarioEnergy Minister DwightDuncan said the project wouldestablish Toronto and Ontarioas world leaders in solar en-ergy R&D and education. U ofT students and ARISE, saysthe announcement, will usethe facility to conduct researchon renewable energy systemsand technologies, which “willhelp develop the utilization ofPV systems for commercialand utility scale systems.”

Under the agreement, PECwill provide the land andARISE will install a photo-voltaic system between 500kW and 1 MW. The PV plant,scheduled for installation inlate 2008 or early 2009, is ex-pected to cost $5-$8 millionand will utilize PV cell technol-ogy developed by ARISE andU of T. Later this year, ARISEplans to issue a community-based share offering that willallow residents to participatein the project.

“This project will provide anopportunity for our systemsgroup to study and optimizeimplementation of large scalesystems for deployment inOntario,” said ARISE presi-dent and CEO Ian MacLellan.

The Portlands Energy Cen-tre, owned by a limited part-nership between OntarioPower Generation andTransCanada Energy, is aplanned 550 MW gas-firedpower plant scheduled for fulloperation in 2009. n

ducing consistent results in bothlaboratories and the samples areof sufficient size, ARISE has sentsamples to an independent labo-ratory for analysis.

Another milestone, says thecompany, is successful test re-sults of a full-size, 100 mm diam-eter, ARISE PV cell. The resultsindicate performance efficiencysimilar to a much smaller cell de-veloped earlier, and the companybelieves this confirms thescalability of its technology. Thecompany also claims its cell’s ef-ficiency, which is the ratio of elec-tricity produced when comparedto the potential power of the sun-light striking it, and was measuredat 12.7% in the lab, will achieve18% in production once othertechnology features are addedand optimized. Commerciallyavailable PV modules availablenow are rated at 12–18% effi-ciency.

While its PV cells are still un-der development and have yet tobe commercialized, the companyplans to commence shipping toPV module makers in 2008.

The University of Toronto andCalifornia-based Komag Inc., amanufacturer of thin-film disks fordigital data storage, are partnersin the development of this new PVtechnology, and they hope to opena $70 million PV cell productionfacility in Bischofswerda, Ger-many. In late December, followingan application for governmentfunding from the SaechsischeAufbaubank, ARISE was ap-proved to receive a loan of about$19.2 million, repayable over theterm of the project.

ARISE also expects to be eligi-ble to receive refundable Germantax credits in connection with theproject. Construction is scheduledfor fall 2007. The plant will be op-erational by the second quarter of2008. n

Company makes progress in technology development

7 CanSIA SOLutionsApril 2007

CMHC SELECTS 12 NET ZERO HOME PROJECTSCanada Mortgage and Housing

Corporation (CMHC) has re-branded its Net Zero EnergyHealthy Housing initiative and se-lected 12 winning proposals, whichwill be built under the newEQuilibrium housing initiativename.

The goal of the initiative is to pro-mote the construction, followed bya demonstration period, of homesthat boast net zero energy con-sumption. But EQuilibrium is aboutmore than energy, explainsCMHC’s Duncan Hill. The houseswill be built in accordance with fiveprinciples outlined in a call for ex-pressions of interest released lastyear: occupant health and comfort,energy efficiency, renewable en-ergy production, resource and wa-ter conservation and reduced en-vironmental impact. To encourageserious responses, says Hill, thecall asked that projects be led by aprofessional builder or developer.

“We put it out in May and hadno idea what we would get. It wasa shot in the dark,” says Hill. “Therewere over 600 inquiries and 72actually gelled into reasonable ex-pressions of interest. There wereonly two not worth considering. Wehad 70 respectable expressions ofinterest, sufficiently detailed andreflective of enough commitmentand thought from the project teamsto warrant a full evaluation, whichblew our minds. It’s been quite aprocess.”

While the selection processlooked at technical feasibility, Hill

says affordability and ease of rep-lication are key concerns. The finalselection process was adminis-tered by the Royal ArchitecturalInstitute of Canada (RAIC), and 12projects were selected in mid-Feb-ruary: four in Alberta, three in Que-bec, three in Ontario, one in Sas-katchewan and one in Manitoba.RAIC praised CMHC andEQuilibrium for climate changeleadership. “Architects acrossCanada have $40 to $45 billionworth of projects on the boards,”says RAIC president VivianManasc. “These buildings will last50 to 100 years. Given these facts,and as responsible Canadians, ar-chitects have been actively work-ing to ensure further projects re-duce our carbon footpr int.EQuilibrium fits nicely with the pro-fession’s direction.”

Hill says solar energy fits nicelywith EQuilibrium, and each of the12 projects will be equipped withsolar thermal and photovoltaictechnologies. Through the initiative,CMHC has a two-fold message,which is that solar energy shouldnot be thought of in isolation ofenergy efficiency, but solar energyshould be thought of. “There areopportunities in our climate for so-lar hot water and PV,” says Hill. “Themore roofs we can get into action,the more the industry will developa capacity to deliver products andinnovations, and the more comfort-able municipalities and utilities willbe dealing with them.”

Construction of the 12 projects

is expected to be substantiallycomplete before the end of theyear, followed by a public demon-stration period of six to 12 monthsbeginning sometime in 2008. Ulti-mately, CMHC expects the houseswill be sold, but title and occupancyis up to the various builders.

“Neither CMHC or the govern-ment is paying a dime for thesehouses to be built,” says Hill. “Theseguys have volunteered to try tobuild net zero energy healthyhomes, EQuilibrium homes, be-cause they think it’s doable. Theywant to see how close they can get,and at the end of the day turnaround and sell them. The extentto which they are successful is partof the project.”

The 12 teams will receive$50,000 each for project documen-tation, performance testing andpublic demonstration. After thedemonstration period, Hill says a“real-life” monitoring of the homesand the behaviour of their occu-pants will begin. Detailed reportson the individual houses and theEQuilibrium project, if all goes well,will occur in late 2010.

“The big wild card in all of this isoccupant habits, and how they runthe houses,” says Hill. “In thesehomes it will be interesting to seewhat monitoring tells us about theenergy needs and demands of fu-turistic housing models. I suspectit will demonstrate you can takehousing so far, and the next stepwill be tweaking occupant expec-tations and habits.” n

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April 2007 CanSIA SOLutions8

SIMPLIFIED PROCESSNEEDED FOR SOLAR

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

owners have no idea what thatmeans.”

Eng says it can take threemonths from the time he be-gins working with a client togetting a contract signed withthe OPA, and that’s too long.He says he and others areadvising the province to con-sider a simplified applicationand connection process forsystems under 10 MW. “Theprocess they have now isgeared toward corporationsputting in larger systems,commercial operations,” saysEng. “They need to simplifythis for homeowners.”

Wiebe agrees, suggestingthe 142 MW of projects thatsigned contracts, which arenot PV, may indicate the readi-ness and commercial orienta-tion of other technologies. Af-ter an initial period of organi-zation passes, he says, sub-sequent contract announce-ments may reflect evolution inthe Ontario PV market.

“PV systems are smallerand there are more custom-ers involved. Compared towind, where a lot of peoplealready have experience. WithPV, more customers have tobe educated. They have tolearn how the technologyworks, and learn about theSOP. I may be optimistic, but Ithink this may be a part of thelow initial numbers. There’s alearning curve.”

The OPA said it has re-ceived another 58 applica-tions under the SOP and willaward contracts as theprojects are evaluated. Thecontracts announced repre-sent a capital investment of$336 million. n

A US congressman invitedCanSIA to appear in Washington,DC recently to share its experiencewith Ontario’s standard offer pro-gram (SOP).

In late February, WashingtonState Congressman Jay Insleehosted an open presentation for thebenefit of federal policy advisers,congressional assistants, industryassociations and NGOs. Inslee’saim was to present authorHermann Scheer, who is currentlyon tour to promote his latest publi-cation: Energy Autonomy: The Eco-nomic, Social and TechnologicalCase for Renewable Energy.

CanSIA was represented at the

event by Melinda Zytaruk. Formerlythe general manager of and apolicy director with the OntarioSustainable Energy Association(OSEA), Zytaruk was a primarystakeholder during public consul-tations on SOP.

About 30 people attended themeeting, says Zytaruk, who con-veyed the experience of getting arenewable energy tariff establishedin Ontario, what it involved andwhere it stands.

“The message that seemed tobe of most interest to people wasthat while it appeared getting a tariffin Ontario was an unlikely result,

ONTARIO EXPERIENCE TRAVELS TO US

because there was an expectationwe would be an RPS (renewablesportfolio standard) market, we hada broad coalition of support,” ex-plains Zytaruk. “Many stakeholderssaw this really was the way to ac-celerate the development of renew-able energy.

“One of my important messageswas that the tariff is for all technolo-gies, and that policies to supportall renewables is important, andthat getting solar into the tariff wasa big victory in Ontario.”

There was a very high level ofinterest from those who came tothe meeting, says Zytaruk, whowas questioned about the barriersthe Ontario solar industry has over-come, who its detractors were inthe fight to be included in the SOP,and what issues it continues toface. “I learned there is an enor-mous potential for sharing our ex-perience. In Ontario, as we con-tinue to build the solar industry,there is a lot we can learn fromwhat has worked and not workedin other places. Keeping that dia-logue open is very helpful.”

Hermann Scheer, president ofEUROSOLAR, chairman of theWorld Council for Renewable En-ergy; president of the InternationalParliamentary Forum on Renew-able Energies and member of theGerman Parliament, told the gath-ering renewable resource develop-ment is the only route to economi-cally generated energy, saysZytaruk. He focused on the need,she says, to understand the forcesat play that support the status quoand oppose alternative energy so-lutions. Scheer also spoke in sup-port of renewable energy tariffs.

“His key message is there is notechnical barrier to 100% renew-able energy. It’s about power andpolitics, and we have to change theway we think about energy, whohas control and who is making de-cisions.” n

Melinda Zytaruk

I learned there is anenormous potential forsharing our experience.In Ontario, as we con-tinue to build the solarindustry, there is a lot

we can learn from whathas worked and not

worked in other places.Keeping that dialogueopen is very helpful.

“

”

CanSIA shares standard offer challenges, successes

CanSIA SOLutionsApril 2007 9

CanSIA’s 2007 annual con-ference will be held in Torontoin November, and the associa-tion is now looking for volun-teers to assist with preparationsfor the event.

Canadian Solar 2007 will bethe association’s largest solarevent to date, with more than400 delegates and 50 exhibitorsexpected to attend. The Torontolocation is a change for CanSIA,which traditionally holds thecountry’s annual solar confer-ence in Ottawa.

“We’re hoping to increase ourvisibility a bit more, and becausewe’re a national association wewant to start moving the confer-ence to different cities,” explainsCanSIA research officer KristaMayer. “Toronto is a good, logi-

cal step. Next year we hope totake it out of Ontario.”

This year, CanSIA has decidedto offer members a greater role inthe planning process, and is hop-ing to share some of the workload.“We’re at the beginning stage ofplanning,” says Myer. “We’re stillchoosing the venue, and we’rehoping to introduce more publicevents and workshops.”

CanSIA is looking for 20-25 in-dividuals to fill positions in fiveworking groups: speakers andsessions, corporate and govern-ment fund raising, onsite volun-teer management, technicalworkshops and public events.Those interested can contactCanSIA by calling (613) 736-9077, or through email atinfo@cansia.ca.

CanSIA is also working on aplan to attend Solar Power 2007,an annual conference held by theUS Solar Electric Power Associa-tion and Solar Energy IndustriesAssociation, to be held Septem-ber 24-27 in Long Beach, Califor-nia. The association’s attendanceis supported by and will be donein conjunction with Foreign Affairsand International Trade Canadaand Industry Canada. Mayer saysa Canadian reception, which wasalso offered last year at this event,will be held.

“We’re really hoping to giveother people a chance to find outwhat’s going on in Canada,” saysMayer. “At the same time we’d liketo give our members a chance toexchange information both ways.It’s important.” n

CANSIA STARTS WORK ON 2007 TORONTO CONFERENCE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

All new federal government officebuildings must now meet LEEDgold-level standards, says the min-istry.

Whether on other public build-ings or connected to the privatesector, Carmanah’s project man-ager for the PEI project, RichardWayte, is “one hundred percentabsolutely sure” LEED will result inmore solar installations.

“LEED is a good thing,” he says.“There is a section dedicated to de-veloping on-site generation. Theymight not use PV, because that’snot necessary, but it’s a step to-wards sustainability in general. Weexpect PV will be part of a very highpercentage of these projects.”

Wayte says Carmanah has “anumber of high-profile clients andprojects,” some contemplating PVinstallations in the 3 MW range, andhalf of them are evaluating a de-

velopment based on LEED crite-ria.

In 2006, Carmanah was also thecontracted installer of ExhibitionPlace’s 100 kW PV system in To-ronto, which now stands as Cana-da’s largest solar electric plant. Likethe Toronto site, the Jean CanfieldBuilding will have Web-basedmonitoring technology, which willdisplay in the lobby the system’senergy generation performance inreal time. n

GREEN BUILDING LEADERSHIP PROGRAM GOOD FOR SOLAR

April 2007 CanSIA SOLutions10

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

four-year pilot project is beingcontemplated.

“NRCan is at an exploratorystage with this right now,” he says.“From the industry’s point of view,it’s small when compared to eve-rything else, but it’s huge versuswhat we’ve had in the past. At $9million, we’re talking about some-thing that can have an impact.”

Last but not least, NRCan saysERH will help establish a marketfor solar thermal technology bysupporting the development ofstandards and certification, bypromoting adoption throughbuilding codes and provincial andmunicipal regulations, and byhelping to train technicians andinstallers. It’s a smaller part of theprogram, says van Doorn, butthese are things CanSIA isputting a lot of focus on. “Theseare fundamentals of any indus-try trying to get into the market,”he says. “We need these things.”

Something the wholeecoEnergy initiative appears todisregard is photovoltaic energy.ERP targets the installation of4,000 MW of generating capac-ity from wind, biomass, small hy-dro and ocean energy by provid-ing a 1¢/kWh payment for the first10 years of a project’s life. It’s notdesigned to accommodate PV,and both van Doorn and CanSIAPV committee chair Steve Wiebeare disappointed.

“This is a short-sighted ap-proach,” says Wiebe, who be-lieves NRCan should be promot-ing residential PV through thenew federal renewables initiative.“Investing in this industry, maybeyou’re not going to see huge CO

2

reductions in the short-term, butyou would be building an indus-try, and building capacity. Then,in a five- or 10-year window, youwould really start to see a ben-efit.”

Wiebe, however, is happyabout the 2007 federal budget,which announced changes to theaccelerated capital cost allow-ance (CCA) for clean energy gen-eration. As it now stands, renew-able generation assets acquiredafter February 23, 2005 and be-fore 2012 are eligible for a 50%accelerated CCA under Class43.2. For assets acquired beforeFebruary 23, 2005, 30% accel-erated CCA is provided underClass 43.1. Both classes cur-rently include solar thermal as-sets, but only if they are used inan industrial process or a green-house. PV assets are also eligi-ble provided they have a mini-mum capacity of 3 kW.

Budget 2007 proposes that eli-gibility for both classes be modi-fied to eliminate the minimumsize requirement for PV systemsand that building-integrated PVbe included. It also proposes toextend eligibility for solar thermalsystems under both classes toinclude commercial and residen-tial applications, other than swim-ming pool heating. Examples in-clude space heating of commer-cial and apartment buildings, andhot water heating for laundries,car washes and hotels.

In addition, for all renewabletechnologies, the budget pro-poses to extend eligibility forClass 43.2 to assets acquiredbefore 2020.

Van Doorn says the changes“provide a significant signal thatthis government is listening” tothe solar industry. “CanSIA hasbeen advocating for thesechanges since 2002, as the taxact previously treated solar un-fairly compared to other renew-able energy technologies such aswind.”

If the budget is passed by Par-liament, the changes will apply toeligible assets acquired on or af-ter March 19, 2007. n

REDI expired, and Copperhill willlikely be certified this spring. Fol-lowing Copperhill, as van Doornpointed out, as many as 18 manu-facturers are now at some stageof the process, and Sibbitt saysfive have completed all the require-ments to gain federal support. Healso expects NRCan’s ecoEnergyRenewable Heat initiative, a four-year program announced in Janu-ary, will soon pick up certificationfunding where REDI left off.

“If manufacturers can get theirproducts in at this time of year,spring or early summer, the 30-dayoutdoor-exposure testing period,which is a problem in the fall andwinter, suddenly becomes a muchquicker operation,” advises Sibbitt.Four years of stable governmentfunding should also help, he says,and weather permitting it may bepossible, once the whole processgets rolling again, to certify onesystem per month. “The teethingproblems are mostly behind us.Things like getting the NSTF ac-credited, and getting its agreementworked out with CSA, some ofthese things were one-time issuesthat we had to get past.”

Van Doorn says certification re-mains a CanSIA priority, and theassociation will soon be discuss-ing the matter with NRCan in itsconsultation on the ecoEnergy ini-tiative. CanSIA members need toknow where they stand on this, hesays, and how the process can beaccelerated.

“One thing that is quite clear isNRCan realizes the importance ofthis,” he says. And one of the fun-damental roles of any industry as-sociation is standards and tryingto maintain a certain level of qual-ity in the industry. We don’t wantto burn our own market. The prior-ity is legitimate, but we’re not quiteclear yet on how we’re going tosolve the issue of delay.” n

BUDGET INCLUDES TAX CHANGESCONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

MANUFACTURERS FACECERTIFICATION DELAYS

11 CanSIA SOLutionsApril 2007

SOLAR TRAINING COURSES IN CANADAApril 16-17, 2007: Opportu-nities to Develop RenewableEnergy Projects with FirstNations, Industry and Gov-ernment Partnerships, To-ronto, Web site: www.canadaforum.com

April 16-17, 2007: OntarioPower Supply Forum, To-ronto, Web site: www.can-adianinstitute.com

April 23-24, 2007: 6th AnnualQuebec Forum on Electricity,Montreal, Web site: www.can-adianinstitute.com

April 27-29, 2007: Green Liv-ing Show, Toronto, Web site:www.greenlivingshow.ca

June 10-14, 2007: SecondConference of the SolarBuildings Research Networkand 32nd Annual Conferenceof the Solar Energy Societyof Canada, Calgary, Web site:www.solarbuildings.ca

June 13-14, 2007: OntarioPower Summit, Toronto, Website: www.insightinforma-tion.com n

Energy Systems EngineeringTechnician and TechnologyPrograms : St. Lawrence Col-lege offers hands on experiencewith system design, photovoltaicsand solar water and air heating.

(613) 544-5400 ext. 1528www.sl.on.ca/fulltime/F1002.htm

energyhouse.ati.sl.on.ca/

Introduction to Renewable En-ergy: Mohawk College offers an in-troductory course on renewableenergy, including solar, wind, hy-dro and ground source energy.

(905) 526-6458www.mohawkcollege.ca

Solar Hot Water System InstallerCourse: Northern Lights Collegein Dawson Creek, BC, is offering a6-day course on residential/com-mercial solar hot water system in-stallation from April 23 - 28, 2007.

(250) 784-7509www.nlc.bc.ca

PV technician’s certificate:Seneca College, in partnershipwith CanSIA, offers an eleven-parttraining program for people whowant to become professionallytrained in the design and installa-

tion of solar photovoltaic sys-tems.

(800) 572-0712www.senecac.on.ca/eto/

pages/photovol.html

Introduction to photovoltaics:The British Columbia Institute ofTechnology offers a two-levelprogram of study in off- and on-grid PV systems.

604-434-1610www.bcit.ca/admission/register

Renewable energy work-shops: The Kortright Centre forConservation offers four work-shops, three with graduatedtraining on how to generate elec-tricity using solar and wind en-ergy systems, and one on solarwater heating.

(905) 832-2289 ex: 239www.trca.on.ca

Renewable energy career pro-grams: Willis College of Busi-ness & Technology offers arange of workshops and fulltraining programs in renewableenergy.

(613) 233-1128http://www.williscollege.com

SOLARCALENDAR

INFORMATION PACKAGE PROMOTES ‘SOLAR READY’ HOMESCONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

idea is not. A now-outdated versionwas published in the 1980s, saysMcClay. One major change in theindustry since then is a move to-ward certification. The new direc-tory lists tested products certifiedby the Canadian Standards Asso-ciation (CSA), as well as productscertified by European and US fa-cilities, but out of necessity it alsocontains uncertified equipment.

“We’ve decided for this year, be-cause the CSA process isn’t mov-

ing ahead as quickly as anticipated,we had to expand the constituencyof companies that could apply,”says McClay.

“As more products get certifiedwe may phase that out, but for nowthis is fair.”

CanSIA has also now completeda solar-ready SDHW marketingbrochure and seven-page techni-cal guideline. The marketing bro-chure is a tri-fold handbill describ-ing the fundamental benefits ofowning an SDHW system, as wellas the basic modifications required

during the construction of a newhome to make it “solar ready,”which is to say more accepting ofa future SDHW installation. It alsorecommends the technical guide-line document for further informa-tion.

“This is basically an informationpackage,” says McClay. “If readersneed the introduction in the bro-chure they can use it, but otherswill just go straight to the technicalguideline, which has more than lay-

See PACKAGE page 12

April 2007 CanSIA SOLutions12

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

the example of Ontario’s standardoffer program (SOP), which pro-vides 20-year contracts at 11¢/kWh for distribution connectedwind, biomass and small hydroprojects, while photovoltaic instal-lations receive 42¢/kWh.

Dave Davies, spokesman forCarmanah Technologies, a BC-based supplier of PV systems withoffices in Alberta, Ontario, Califor-nia and the UK, says Carmanah isexpanding its operations in Ontariobased on opportunities resulting inpart from the SOP. Davies enthu-siastically supports the plannedBC standing offer contract pro-gram, saying PV-based contractswill help meet the objectives of theprovincial energy plan.

“Carmanah is doing business allaround the world, and the homeprovince is moving forward andcatching up to what other marketshave been doing,” says Davies. “It’sgood political will.”

While many essential detailsmust be determined before the BCenergy plan is really understood,the provincial ministries of energyand environment and Natural Re-sources Canada have already ini-tiated solar energy consultationsthrough an industry-governmenttask team, which includesCarmanah and Taylor Munro.Working under the banner of the100,000 Solar Roofs RoadmapProject, the team will determinehow BC can utilize more photo-voltaic and solar thermal technolo-gies through a program promotingresidential installations. The project

was launched in late 2006 with theobjective of reporting to the gov-ernment before the end of 2007.Coincident with the release of thenew energy plan, the task team’sreporting schedule has been ac-celerated, says Thwaites. Its dead-line is now May, and its recom-mendations will likely have signifi-cant impact on new policy. Thereis “optimism around the table,”

says Thwaites, that this is “an op-portunity to have good work wellunderstood and hopefully imple-mented.

“I think the promotion of andprograms associated with solarheating and PV are going to bewrapped up under the umbrella ofthe 100,000 solar roofs initiative,”he says. “There may be somethings happening on the side, butI think there is going to be a pushto get it all together.”

If a standing offer contract pricefor PV remains unresolved by the100,000 Solar Roofs RoadmapProject, CanSIA’s PV committeechair, Steve Wiebe, says the as-sociation is eager to consult withthe BC government. The experi-ence gained by working with On-tario on the “groundbreaking” SOP

will be used to plan an approach,he says.

Thwaites says recent BC activi-ties are a great opportunity to forma BC caucus of CanSIA, pointingout the national association is notrepresented at the 100,000 roofsinitiative. “The staff support the Ot-tawa office gave the Ontario stand-ard offer contract process was in-valuable, and we would certainlywelcome the same involvementhere in BC.”

One new program announced inthe document that may benefit thesolar thermal and PV industriesalike is the Innovative Clean En-ergy Fund. The province will estab-lish the $25 million fund to supportthe development of clean powerand energy efficiency technologiesin the electricity, alternative energy,transportation, and oil and gas sec-tors.

The fund will assist the research,development and demonstration ofemerging technologies. Technolo-gies that are already commercialbut require more widespread adop-tion will also benefit, says the plan.These technologies require assist-ance “such as the dissemination ofinformation and technology trans-fer, or government taking leader-ship in applying the technologiesin government operations.” With in-put and advice from an industry-government committee, the fundwill be managed by the Ministry ofEnergy, Mines and Petroleum Re-sources, which is now examiningways of gathering financial supportfor the initiative from consumersthrough “a small charge” on elec-tric and gas utility services. n

TASK TEAM LIKELY TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

man’s information. It’s more for en-gineers and builders. It’s all gearedto people who don’t have muchexperience with solar hot water.”

Both the brochure and guideline

were funded by Natural ResourcesCanada, says McClay, and CanSIAhas printed 500 English copies ofeach, plus 100 French copies of thetechnical guideline. About half ofthe printed material has beenmailed out to provincial merit con-

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

This is an opportu-nity to engage in

constructive dialogue.There’s an opportunityfor programs to be put

in place.

“

”Joe Thwaites

tractor associations and home-builders’ associations, as well asarchitecture programs at universi-ties and colleges. Bilingual versionsof both publications are down-loadable in electronic format atwww.cansia.ca. n

PACKAGE GEARED TO PEOPLE WITHOUT SOLAR HOT WATER EXPERIENCE