Green energy sector cheers Ontario election result

(Reuters) - Ontario's renewable energy industry breathed a sigh of relief on Friday and manufacturers looked forward to a surge in demand after voters in the province returned the Liberal Party to power, albeit without a majority.

Shares in renewable energy companies rose on expectations of an end to an industry slowdown caused by months of uncertainty over the future of the Liberal-sponsored green energy plan and its generous feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme for renewable power developers.

The opposition Progressive Conservative Party, which had been well ahead in the polls for much of the campaign, had threatened to abolish the FIT program, which pays well above-market rates to developers of green power. They argued it was causing electricity prices to rocket.

"It is a good day today. Customers were holding back with orders ahead of the outcome of the election... Now that there is relief, people will continue with their plans," said Paco Caudet, general manager of Siliken Canada, a unit of Spanish solar panel manufacturer Siliken.

Shares of Sustainable Energy Technologies, a manufacturer of solar inverters, jumped 11 percent on the TSX Venture Exchange. Solar panel technology maker Day4 Energy Inc rose nearly 7 percent.
The victory by the Ontario Liberals in Thursday's election was their third in a row, but they fell one seat short of a majority, meaning they will need support from opposition legislators to pass bills.

Although the possible fragility of a minority government could have some impact on the renewables industry, "people are comfortable that the fundamentals are in place," Robert Hornung, president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, said in an interview.

Ontario has attracted more than C$20 billion ($19.5 billion) in renewable investment commitments since it launched its FIT program two years ago. The largest single commitment is a C$7 billion investment by South Korea's Samsung C&T, which the Conservatives threatened to scrap.

Thursday's election outcome "allows us just to continue forward on the time frame that we hoped rather than guessing at what is coming down the pike," said Mike Garland, chief executive of Pattern Energy, which is developing four wind projects in Ontario with Samsung.

($1=$1.03 Canadian)

Ontario regulator gives utility more time to assess solar-power proposals

Ontario’s energy regulator has granted the province’s largest utility more time to deal with a backlog of solar-power proposals despite concerns from the fledgling industry that further delays could threaten green jobs and cripple investments.
In a ruling issued on Tuesday, the Ontario Energy Board agreed to give Hydro One a limited six-month exemption from meeting deadlines for assessing and connecting some small renewable-energy projects.
But the provincially owned utility faces numerous conditions, including monthly monitoring and an order to develop a comprehensive plan for dealing with the steady surge of solar applications. Hydro One declined to comment until it has reviewed the ruling.
The energy regulator’s decision stems from a two-day hearing in August that pitted the utility giant against the province’s young solar sector. The industry was born two years ago from the Liberal government’s desire to turn Ontario into a green-energy leader.
Solar and wind power producers have been guaranteed long-term, above-market payments for their energy. However, bureaucratic delays and grid-connection obstacles have stalled thousands of projects.
The Liberals, which won a minority government in last week’s election, will have to address these challenges as it also faces stronger opposition in the legislature. The Conservatives say green-power incentives are too costly and should be scrapped.

Canadian Solar Supplies 15 MW to Build the UK's 3 Largest PV Solar Power Plants

London, UK - Canadian Solar, one of the world's largest solar companies, today announced that 22,000 of its high quality and high performance solar modules were used by its partner and EPC project supplier, Isolux Corsan, to build the UK's three largest photovoltaic solar power plants. Under the euro 40 million project, three new 5 MW solar power plants were built in Langford, Churchtown and Manor based in Cornwall, for a total of 15 MW installed capacity.

According to a September report from energy consultancy AEA, Cornwall generates the most solar photovoltaic power in the UK. Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar, commented, "We are proud that Canadian Solar was selected for this showcase project. Isolux Corsan is a great partner and we are very pleased to be working together and hope to expand our relationship further in the future. Customers and partners continue to seek Canadian Solar due to our experience in the project area, backed by our impressive module performance, quality and value. Solar panels continue to be the most popular of the renewable energy sources in the UK and we are really encouraged by the growth we are seeing in our UK business. The impressive scale of this milestone UK solar project is proof of Isolux Corsan's excellence and we look forward to continuing to work with customers, such as Isolux Corsan, to promote the expansion of solar power in the UK."

"It has been a major challenge for Isolux Corsan to build these three plants, 15 MW of power plants, in just 10 weeks. On top of that, we had the difficulties of operating in a country for the first time. The project met all the deadlines thanks to the excellent coordination between all the departments from within our organization and also the involvement of external suppliers. Canadian Solar has understood the way we work perfectly and they have adapted to it as if they were just another member of the team. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their close cooperation all along the line," states Jesus Rubio, head of the Isolux Corsan Photovoltaic Solar Team.