Presented to the Toronto Training BoardDec 8, 2009Robert Hellier, Manager Centennial Energy InstituteChair, Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA)

GTA Goes GEA: Green Fuel for Job Growth

GTA Goes GEA

Bill 150Green Energy & Green Economy Act (GEGEA)

• Ontario legislation• Royal Assent in May 2009• Most advanced energy policy in North America• 6 months to develop cross-cutting policy• Initiatives in two main areas;• Sustainable Energy Generation• Energy Conservation & Efficiency

• Critics call it the Green Electricity Act for failing to address liquid fuels & thermal energy

GTA Goes GEA

GEA Components 

Sustainable Energy Generation• Directs the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) to develop

a Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) & microFiT program with standard rules, contracts & pricing for RE projects

• Establishes Renewable Energy Facilitation Office (REFO) to facilitate RE projects ( Green Energy “Czar”, Sue Lo)

• The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) required to consider RE, smart grid & electric vehicles in planning

• Supports “Community Power” & Aboriginal communities.

GTA Goes GEA

GEA Components 

Sustainable Energy Generation• Requires transmitters & distributors give RE projects priority access to grid

• Streamlined approvals process for RE projects, balancing green energy needs with public & environmental protection.

• Incentives for community & household scale RE projects (zero- or low-interest loans)

GTA Goes GEA

GEA Components 

Energy Conservation & Efficiency

• Energy efficiency becomes key purpose of Ontario Building Code (OBC)

• Energy audit required prior to selling or leasing real property

• Allows government to require energy conservation & demand management plans & energy standards.

• Allows government to require energy conservation & efficiency in capital investments

GTA Goes GEA

GEA Components 

Energy Conservation & Efficiency

• OEB required to consider conservation in planning & implement conservation & demand management (CDM) targets

• Environmental Commissioner of Ontario required to prepare 2 new annual reports: • energy conservation of electricity, natural gas,

propane, oil & transportation fuels • progress of provincial activities to reduce

greenhouse gases

GTA Goes GEA

GEA Components 

“Time-of-Use” Electricity Rates

 Gradual phase in with full implementation by 2011

Winter 2009 (November 1 - April 30)Time Period¢/kWhWeekdays - 7 am to 11 am On-Peak 9.3Weekdays - 11 am to 5 pm Mid-Peek 8.0Weekdays - 5 pm to 9 pm On-Peak 9.3Weekdays - 9 pm to 7 am Off-Peak 4.4Weekends - All day Off-Peak 4.4

GTA Goes GEA

Green Jobs & Megawatts (MW)

• Canada's potential in the RE sector could create 5,000 MW & 13,000 jobs (2.5 jobs/MW) by 2012 (Industry Canada ) producing $10 billion revenue.

• CanWEA estimates 55,000 MW of wind capacity & 52,000 jobs, including in rural communities (1 job/MW). 

• Germany’s 31,000 MW of installed RE capacity produced 240,000 jobs (8 jobs/MW)

• Ontario’s success will depend on fostering green manufacturing & R&D

GTA Goes GEA

Ontario’s Electricity ConsumptionConsumption by province 1990 & 2006

GTA Goes GEA

Ontario’s RE CapacityCan wind drive jobs?

• 55,000 MW of capacity (onshore & offshore)

• 10 regions shown (68 sites), with 8700 MW, could produce 21300 GWh of electricity/year (OPA, 2006)

• If Canadian R&D & Mfg, this = 72,000 jobs• Canada’s installed wind energy capacity is now 3,000

MW.• Expected 12,000 MW of wind energy by 2015

(CanWEA )

GTA Goes GEA

Ontario’s RE CapacityJob & Employment Breakdown for Wind Industry• CanWEA scenario assumes limited CDN development

of wind energy turbine mfg supply chain

University College Trades Generaltotal

2,900 13,400 7,600 6,20030,100

10% 45% 25% 20%

• Most general & trades level jobs will be in on-site (rural)

GTA Goes GEA

Ontario’s Grid CapacityCan grid expansion drive jobs?

• Smarter, more robust grid req’d to accept RE projects

• Grid expansion will employ 20,000 over next 3 years (OPA)

• Significant trades level opportunities, again on-site (905, rural)

GTA Goes GEA

Ontario’s Energy Auditing SectorHow will mandatory home energy audits create jobs?• Currently 25,000-30,000 home

energy audits/yr• Could expand to 200,000/yr• Increase from 150 to 800 energy

auditing jobs• Spin-off jobs: energy retrofitters,

HVAC & lighting technicians• GTA will benefit greatly• NRCan Certification not easy.

Requires bldg science knowledge, bldg measures & energy modelling skills

GTA Goes GEA

Reports on Green Jobs“Building the Green Economy” GEEA, BlueGreen Canada & WWF

• Estimates green energy (generation & conservation) investments yield approx 15 jobs/1$M

• Of these, 8 are direct, 7 indirect• $47.1B/10 years will create

90,000 jobs & 22,100 MW (replaces coal)

GTA Goes GEA

Reports on Green Jobs“Building Bright Futures” Electricity Sector Council

PV production (MW) for 13 countries in 2007

GTA Goes GEA

PV panel sales doubled in 2007-08

Reports on Green Jobs“Building Bright Futures” Electricity Sector Council

GTA Goes GEA

Labour Shortages expected in 2011

Reports on Green Jobs“Building Bright Futures” Electricity Sector Council

GTA Goes GEA

• Significant job growth of 50,000-90,000 over 10 years expected provincially. GTA will benefit from R&D, finance & upper mgmt jobs IF design & mfg attracted to province.

• Bulk of direct employment resulting from GEA require postsecondary education & technical in nature

• Most jobs not requiring post-secondary will be in on-site construction, therefore outside GTA (wind, biomass, biogas hydro)

• Expected shortages due to rapid sector growth complicated by high retirement rates in utilities and trades

• Principal RE in GTA will be solar (Michelle Bird to discuss)

Conclusions

GTA Goes GEA

Questions?

Thank-you

rhellier@centennialcollege.ca