Despite incentives from the provincial government and claims that they have created 20,000 jobs in green energy, Ontario's solar power industry is grinding to a halt because of delays in approvals from the provincial utility.
Manufacturers of solar panels in Ontario are concerned that their investments won't pay off because of a lack of confidence in the ability of the utility to connect solar projects to the grid, as well as promises from the provincial Conservatives that they will scrap incentives for solar if they regain a majority. According to the Globe and Mail,
"The government of Premier Dalton McGuinty has vowed to shut down all of the province's coal-fired power plants, create 50,000 clean energy jobs and build a lasting green industry to reinvigorate the beleaguered manufacturing sector. The province's green-energy economy should be roaring, but it's not.
A backup in the approvals process has brought the fledgling [solar power] industry almost to a standstill...More than 22,000 applications representing 1,375 megawatts are in the queue, many of them stuck...The utility insists it has been overwhelmed by connection requests, unable to meet mandatory deadlines for assessing projects since November. The industry, however, contends the delays are unwarranted and significantly harm their businesses and threaten jobs."
FULL STORY: In Ontario, gloomy skies for solar power
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research