[U of T submitted assignments]
How we can improve the Green Energy Act?
Winfield & Dalton posit that there is room for improvement in Ontario’s GEA and FIT Programs; they state that Ontario could still include an annual or bi-annual decrease in the FIT contract rates, something that the GEA overlooked in other European FIT programs. Jami & Walsh also propose that a collaborative participation process should be included in the approval of FIT projects, as well as the inclusion of a “knowledge-broker,” or someone who is able to convey the scientific knowledge, processes, advantages, and disadvantages clearly to local communities. This suggestion is in fact supported by a survey conducted by Langer, Decker & Menrad (2017) in which respondents (in Germany) say that they prefer informative participation over financial compensation. Also, amendments to the GEA could include proponents of the increase in research and funding for the development of more efficient renewable energy projects and more energy storage facilities.
Conclusion
All in all, the GEA is a well-intended piece of legislation. Yes, there are still no available data regarding the exact number of jobs gained or lost because of the GEA and public participation was cut down to a minimum for FIT Projects; however, the GEA was able to ensure that Ontario becomes mostly reliant on non-carbon emitting energy sources, which led to the dismantling of the extremely dirty coal-fired plants.
The Green Energy Act is by no means perfect. If we are to leave it at its current state, vocal opposition to the GEA would grow faster and faster until the public is clamoring for its repeal, and we lose out on the possibility of providing our citizens a better and cleaner tomorrow. Amendments to the GEA could be made in order to save it; the inclusion of additional public participation requirements as well as the funding for more efficient renewable energy production and storage technologies come to mind.
I would like to leave you, my dear reader, with a great quote from the movie Tomorrowland (2018). It states:
In every moment, there’s the possibility of a better future, but you people won’t believe it. And because you won’t believe it, you won’t do what is necessary to make it a reality. So, you dwell on this terrible future. You resign yourselves to it for one reason, because that future does not ask anything of you today.
We need to make a stand in order to ensure that we, the citizens of Ontario, still have a great future; a future that is clean and sustainable, devoid of most of the disastrous effects of climate change.
References:
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