Reindeer Navigation Tips
Santa and his reindeer have a lot to navigate on Christmas Eve. But with the growth of solar panels on roof tops, Guelph Hydro Inc. has thought it best to send a brief note to Santa and his reindeer to advise them about how best to navigate the solar photovoltaic panels that are being installed on their roof.
Once the project is completed, the solar panels will generate 100 kilowatts of electricity that will be fed into the Ontario electricity grid. Guelph Hydro will receive payment for the electricity generated from the solar panels on a 20-year contract from the Ontario Power Authority under Ontario’s Green Energy Act Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program.
“Guelph Hydro is committed to developing cleaner energy sources in Guelph, so we felt it was important to lead by example and be one of the first organizations in the community to install a rooftop solar renewable energy system under Ontario’s Feed-in Tariff program,” says Barry Chuddy, Chief Executive Officer of Guelph Hydro. “Guelph’s Community Energy Initiative calls for the implementation of 1,000 solar roofs, some of which will be City properties which Guelph Hydro is leasing for solar photovoltaic installations.”
The company is actively involved in leasing other industrial, commercial and institutional rooftops in the community for solar panel installations. However, this particular project is being installed by AECON and consists of 60 arrays of photovoltaic modules manufactured by Canadian Solar Inc., the parent company of Canadian Solar Solutions Inc.
“Canadian Solar Solutions applauds Guelph Hydro for their continued commitment to being a municipal marketplace leader in sustainable energy,” said Milfred Hammerbacher, President, Canadian Solar Solutions Inc. “We look forward to creating more solar photovoltaic (PV) solutions in Guelph and throughout Ontario to help as many Ontarians as possible become participants in renewable energy solutions like solar PV.”
This year alone, the Ontario Power Authority has reported that more than 1,000 contracts have been executed for photovoltaic installation in 2010. As such they caution the reindeer to be careful when landing Santa’s sleigh on Ontario roofs this Christmas. In the Guelph alone, there are 20 home with rooftop solar panels.
Guelph has told us that The North Pole has responded to their note saying they are delighted with the company’s efforts to be “good” and help curb climate change through their year-round energy conservation programs, their donation of energy-efficient LED holiday lights to the St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation’s Festival of Lights, and their rooftop solar installation.
“That’s the type of ‘green’ Christmas Santa likes to see!” says the note.
3 Comments »
Dan
As an avid reader of your news service, interested intensely in ethanol policy in Washington, I’d like to thank you warmly for the nod to Guelph, Ontario, Canada, where I reside. Your site is excellent for the latest news on ethanol!
What has especially gratified me is that you mentioned Guelph without saying it was in Ontario, taking it as a matter of course that your readers were hip to where Guelph was. Then you mentioned Guelph was in Ontario, taking it that your readers know where Ontario is. That matters! Up here in Canada, we don’t have nuclear weapons, we don’t point any weapons at anybody, and so the media just usually ignores us. Stupidly. What we do have is a population that goes to work each day and does its best. Here, in Guelph, we are making the city more and more green. As John Lennon said: “A working class hero is something to be.” That’s it. That’s what we do in Guelph each day. Thanks for noticing!
Dan, from Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Joanna Schroeder
Dan -
I love Ontario and now I am a big fan of Guelph! And now that I know I have a “fan” in the city, feel free to send me a picture or two of some of your solar projects and I’ll post them to DF!
My email address is altenergyblogger@hotmail.com.
Also, one of the things I like about Canada is that you seem to do things without all the drama of the states. Oftentimes, when you do things well and quietly, as in the case of the solar projects going on in your community, they get overlooked. I wanted to highlight this project because not only was it fun, but because it helps to show that solar is a renewable energy that viable in all climates, globally.
Regards,
Joanna
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