Countryside Energy’s projects are largely based on the Ontario Government’s “Green Energy And Green Economy Act” [GEGEA] (2009 May 14) and the Ontario Power Authority’s “Feed-In Tariff” [FIT] program (2009 Sep 24).

It is important to note that each Renewable Energy [RE] generating facility is a self-contained power station in itself.

For example, a Photo-Voltaic [PV] system is a mini power station in itself, comprising an array of PV cells linked together and sitting on a roof, on the ground or on a tracking system.  Just think about the costs of building, continuously providing fuel, operating, maintaining and decommissioning “conventional” large power stations, plus the need to install and maintain long-distance high-voltage transmission powerlines. Community renewable energy projects only connect to the lower voltage distribution network, and often adjacent to the point of power usage, thus need none of the expensive transmission infrastructure, and only a small part of the distribution network.

Renewable Energy facilities have low operational expenses, and any decommissioning costs could prove negative if the equipment is replaced, as their working lives can often exceed 20 years.

The Board of Directors and Management have reviewed the options available, and decided that the Co-operative will proceed with projects that will give us success in a relatively short timeframe.