Hello World!

Welcome to the first blog post at solsmart.com! This blog is an informal way to for us to discuss all things solar. We are passionate about solar energy, and are eager to share our thoughts, experience and ideas. We look forward to your feedback and comments, so don’t be shy!

As you may (or may not) know, the Feed-In Tariff was launched on October 1^st and people are starting to take notice! This program represents a tectonic shift in Ontario’s energy policy by encouraging the decentralization of power generation. Homeowners and businesses can now install rooftop solar and make profits by selling green electricity back to the grid. Small scale solar is now a lucrative and low-risk investment! Your 20-year fixed price contract allows you to sell every kilowatt-hour of solar energy at seven times the retail price! While this is a first for North America, similar policies have been around for years in countries like Germany, Spain, Denmark. There are, at last count, over 40 nations that have adopted advanced feed-in tariff systems!

Why Feed-In Tariffs? So What? Who Cares?

Well, I can’t help you if you asked the last question, but assuming you do care about renewable energy, about making money and saving the planet, then read on! We are going to take a closer look at Germany to see why this whole thing is so exciting for Ontario!  Not only do they have a very similar climate to us, but the Ontario Feed-In Tariff is essentially a carbon copy (pardon the pun) of the German EEG.

The numbers say it all!

German Solar PV statistic in 2008

• 600,000+ Solar PV installations  (rooftop & ground mount)
• 5,000 MW of Total Capacity
• 1,500 MW of New Capacity/year
• 300,000+ installations  on Home Rooftops
• 800 MW of solar on Home Rooftops every year!
• $3.1 Billion (CDN) in revenue for owners and investors!

Renewable Energy in Germany  – A Brief History

In response to the 70’s oil crisis, Germany invested heavily in coal and nuclear power. The meltdown at Chernobyl in 1986 however had a profound impact on German society and inspired the nation to seek alternative sources of power.  By 1991, the first Feed-In Tariff (Stromeinspeisungsgesetz – say that three times fast!) was launched and after years of tinkering, and since then they have perfected the formula!  The current program the Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz (EEG) was re-launched in 2001 and has officially put Germany at the top of the class. Renewable energy sources now supply over 15% of energy demands. The EEG has allowed Germany EXCEED their Kyoto greenhouse gas reduction target (19% reduction), create over 50,000 solar industry jobs and take advantage of opportunities on a global scale.  All this for a cost of around $50 a year per household!

Freiburg (Solar City) – An image is worth 1000 words

Freiburg Solar Settlement

Freiburg has several solar settlement neighborhoods that produce more energy than they consume! The PlusEnergy homes make Freiburg one shining example of what is possible with today’s solar technology.

Long story short, despite their famously dreary climate, the Feed-In Tariff has allowed Germans to truly embrace renewable energy. Ontario has a long way to go, but there is absolutely nothing preventing us from this type of success. We’ve got it all, the Feed-in Tariff, the sun, the wind, the rain and the snow!

A special thanks to Paul Gipe at www.wind-works.org for the reference material.