Nov 26 2010
ClearSky Advisors, an advisory services company, has recently released a report on the solar industry in Ontario. The report lauded the underlying principles that prompted the Green Energy and Economy Act of Ontario and its related Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program as growth and job stimulants.
It says the program is aimed at doing away with the power production utilizing coal. The report analyzed how the investments in the expensive solar PV program can bring in values for the power rate payers and taxpayers of Ontario.
The study has detected if the Ontario Power Authorities (OPA) extends the existing FIT tariff program for the solar power generators without making changes in the current rates for a period of five years it will create more than 70,000 job opportunities in Ontario. The advisory company utilized the data it received from official sources such as IESO, OPA, Statistics Canada, studies by qualified individuals and other documented sources. The study details that the solar PV generation industry creates 12 to 15 times more job opportunities than the conventional energy sources such as nuclear, natural gas or coal. The report indicates that with the continuing trend to achieve 3,000 MW within next five years the increased spending on solar energy will increase the power bills of its users only by 0.7% per year in comparison with other forms of energy.
Tim Wohlgemut, ClearSky Advisors Co-Founder, said that considering the cost of solar energy implementation it offers more job positions than any other any sources while helping in reducing the ecological impact. He explained that the question before the household is to weigh how the miniscule cost escalation in their electricity bill helps in creation of more job opportunities, reduces the ecological impact, and lessen their spending on health care.