While most of the headlines -- and job news -- about
Ontario's Feed-in-Tariff energy program have involved multinationals (
see Samsung's $7 billion, 15,000-job bonanza, for instance), many have been pushing the potential of
community energy partnerships -- locally organized and owned programs to produce energy at the neighbourhood level.
Earlier this week, the MaRS Discovery District hosted a forum on just that subject, featuring speakers from around the world offering relevant information on financing and organization of community energy.
On cue,
the provincial government announced a program to give such projects a boost: the new Community Energy Partnerships Program (CEPP) will cover development costs of up to $200,000 for not-for-profit and co-op energy projects.
In a release, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Brad Duguid pointed out both the environmental and employment benefits of the program. "Opening Ontario's doors to clean energy means that everyone can participate in growing Ontario's clean energy economy and the jobs associated with it," he said.
Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Amy Tang, Office of the Honourable Brad Duguid
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