News & Press Releases April 18, 2006 Lion's Head, Ontario For Immediate Release Ontario Energy Board Ruling Undercuts Provincial Standard Offer Proposals The Ontario Energy Board released a ruling today that has negative implications for the Ontario government's announcement of Standard Offer contracts for supply of electricity from small renewable energy projects. Hydro One had applied for a rate change to eliminate the current punitive tariffs charge for such the connection of small generators to their distribution system. This application to eliminate the tariff has been turned down. In the logic of the Board, the current fees, which are as high as $250/month, do not deter the construction of small generation project. "The Board finds that the proposal contained in this Application is unlikely to support the development of this need (i.e. new generation connected to distribution lines)." "The Ontario Energy Board has issued a ruling today that defies logic," says Glen Estill, of Sky Generation. "Evidently the Board believes that small projects are so lucrative that they should be subsidizing other ratepayers in the system. The Board needs to look at nothing other than the lack of such small projects in Ontario's distribution system to know that this is not the case. This ruling ensures that Ontario will continue to have less supply of new renewable generation projects, because the tariff penalizes them." In March, the government announced plans to offer Standard Offer Contracts to developers of small (< 10 megawatt) projects connected to the distribution system, to encourage their deployment. In its submission to the Board, Sky Generation pointed out that small projects connected to the distribution system generate power that is used locally. As such, small projects reduce the line losses in the system, as the power does not have far to reach the consumer. Line losses increase with the distance the power has to travel. Line losses in Ontario's rural distribution system average over 9%, and the consumer pays for these losses through an uplift charge. "Almost 2000 MW of capacity in Ontario is dedicated to heating the wires, and transformers, while shipping the power to the consumer. Building generation closer to the consumer, and in small as opposed to large projects is a good way to reduce these losses, and save consumers money. The Board somehow seems to have missed this point", says Glen Estill. "It is shocking that the Board is making a ruling that undermines government policy directions, and will result in higher prices for consumers." Sky Generation is the owner of the Ferndale Wind turbine on the Bruce Peninsula, and was actively involved with the Government in encouraging Hydro One to bring forth the rate reduction request. Media contact: September 28, 2005 Expansion of Ferndale Wind Project Proceeding Ferndale, September 28th 2005 - Sky Generation Inc. is pleased to announce the expansion of its Ferndale wind project to 3 turbines. The 2 new turbines will be completed in 2006, and will be located just north of the existing turbine. The expansion will supply wind power to Bullfrog Power Inc. (www.bullfrogpower.com) under the terms of a new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between the two firms. Bullfrog Power, which launched today, is Ontario's first 100% green electricity retailer. "We're thrilled about the agreement with Bullfrog Power. Our contract with Bullfrog Power allows us to increase our capacity and bring more green power onto the Ontario grid," said Glen Estill, Founder of Sky Generation. "This partnership is good news to everyone who cares about the impact power generation has on our environment, and who wants to see more of our energy needs supplied by renewables, like pollution-free wind power, rather than fossil fuels. Bullfrog Power's customers should be congratulated for making a choice that shifts the balance of power in Ontario." The new turbines will connect to the electric grid via the same substation as the current turbine. The existing turbine had a low voltage ride through package installed in May of 2005, the first such installation in Ontario. The package allows the turbine to ride through brown out conditions which occur on the feeder during times of high electricity consumption. The new turbines will be ordered in the fall of 2005, for installation in 2006. June 6, 2005 Ferndale Turbine Summer Tours The Ferndale Turbine will be open for guided tours every Saturday in July and August. The tour will include a talk about how the wind turbine works, how it was built, and a discussion of the opportunities to utilize wind resources in Ontario. The tour will take you inside the base of the wind turbine, to see the controller interface, ladder, switch gear etc. Cameras are welcome. The tour will be cancelled if there are thunderstorms in the area. When: 2PM, every July and August Saturday Pre-register: Call 793-3178 to pre-register, or stop in at the sign up sheet at the Ferndale Tourism Information Center, or email info@centralbrucepeninsula.ca. Where: The gate at the substation on Highway 6. WARNING: do not open the gate until the tour guide arrives. The bull in the field is friendly only to tour guides. Price: Donations accepted to defray turbine operating expenses, and pay for the tour guide's time. Sept. 30, 2002
Welcome the Wind! The Port of Owen Sound has witnessed many globally significant developments in its history. Monday September 30, 2002 marks the arrival of a cargo with historic implications for Grey-Bruce, carrying the promise of a cleaner environment locally and throughout the world. The MV Scan Oceanic from Denmark arrives today loaded with 6 large-scale Vestas wind turbines. The turbines each consist of 4 large steel sections for the tower, the nacelle, which houses a gear box, generator, and transformer, a nose cone, and 3 large blades. The turbines will be transported to their sites on trucks specially designed to accommodate over sized loads. The fiberglass/epoxy blades are 40 metres (132 feet) long. The trucks that will carry them are the length of 4 standard full size containers. The wheels on the back of the trailer are able to turn, allowing the truck to negotiate bends and turns on the road. Members of the Grey Bruce Renewable Energy Co-operative (GBREC), sponsor of Green Tags Ontario, will be on hand on Monday September 30, 2002 to welcome the arrival of the ship and its unusual cargo. "It is very exciting and deeply gratifying to greet the arrival of large-scale renewable energy in the Grey-Bruce area," says Kevin Best of GBREC. "These turbines will generate enough electricity to power 3000 homes. It's a start on moving the province off of dirty coal, and onto a sustainable future. This is a very important first step." "After a summer full of smog and heat alerts, can anyone in Ontario doubt that climate change is real?" asks Glen Estill, founder of Sky Generation. "We simply have no choice. We must reduce our use of fossil fuels. It is time to get on with it. Well, Green Tags Ontario and Sky Generation, with the support of citizens and businesses across the province, are doing just that." The turbines will be erected in two locations, in Tiverton, near the Bruce Power visitor center, and on the Bruce Peninsula, 3.5 km south of Ferndale. The turbine on the Bruce Peninsula is being erected by Sky Generation, a small business that depends on the social marketing program of Green Tags Ontario. The cargo destined for the Peninsula will travel on Highway 21 to Alvanley, then turn north and travel up Highway 6 through Hepworth, Clavering, Wiarton and Mar before arriving at its final destination, a 97 acre cattle pasture south of Ferndale. The turbine is expected to travel up the peninsula around October 20, 2002. The turbine should be operational before the end of November. The electricity from the turbine goes onto the electricity grid, like any other generating station. When the wind is strong, and demand low, the electricity generated by the turbine could power the lines as far south as Mar. When this occurs, Northern Peninsula residents will get all of their power locally, without relying on coal or nuclear fired plants. The turbine is supported by the sale of power into the provincial power pool, and by the voluntary purchase of Green Tags by the citizens of Ontario. Buyers of Green Tags are helping to reduce emissions from coal plants, since power replaced by the turbine on the Peninsula is available for use elsewhere in the province. The remainder of the turbine cargo is destined for the Huron Wind project in Tiverton. Huron Wind is not associated with either Green Tags Ontario or Sky Generation.
Additional information is available on the web.
Media Contacts: For Immediate Release: - February 22, 2002 Local Group Teams with Developer to Harvest Bruce Peninsula Winds Grey Bruce Renewable Energy Co-op, a non-profit community-based organization, is joining up with Sky Generation Inc. of Rockwood Ontario, to launch the first commercial wind energy project on the Bruce Peninsula. Sky Generation is proposing to install a wind turbine on the Ferndale flats area of the Bruce Peninsula, halfway between Wiarton and Tobermory. The company has made an application for a zoning by-law amendment to accommodate the turbine. The company proposes to erect a 1.8 Megawatt turbine, manufactured by Vestas Wind Systems A/S of Denmark. The turbine will generate enough electricity to power over 500 homes, and will be connected to the Hydro One electrical grid on Highway 6, south of Ferndale. The company hopes to be generating clean power on the Peninsula by early fall of 2002. The Vestas 1.8 megawatt turbine is one of the largest on the market today, and was selected because of the high power output, which optimizes land use. The turbine and access road will use less than 1% of the 100 acre farm on which it is located. In addition, the turbine has a very slow turning speed of about 16 revolutions per minute. Slow turning turbines provide a calming effect in the landscape. “I am thrilled to be proposing this turbine on the Bruce Peninsula,” said Glen Estill, founder of Sky Generation. “I have many good friends on the Bruce, who made introductions, and provided insight on local wind lore. It is time that the Peninsula started to use its own wind resources to provide power instead of importing it from the south.” Unlike other sources of power, wind power creates no smog, no acid rain, and does not contribute to climate change. And there is no long-term waste storage problem as there is with nuclear power. Sky Generation will sell its power into the provincial power pool. In addition, Sky Generation has formed a strategic relationship with Grey Bruce Renewable Energy Co-operative (GBREC). GBREC will be marketing green tags from the Ferndale turbine, and other projects, both locally, and across the province. Green tags are the environmental attributes of the power, which, when purchased by consumers, ensure that the emission reductions earned by the turbine are not sold to fossil fuel generators. Emission reductions purchased by fossil fuel generators would allow more coal to be burned. Green tags assist the development of both this turbine, and others in the future. “The opening of the electricity market in Ontario will allow citizens to take charge of where their power comes from,” says Kevin Best, of GBREC. “In a real way, the purchase of a green tag from this turbine is a vote for clean power sources, from local suppliers. GBREC is dedicated to a sustainable future, and local wind power is a key part of that.” Based in Owen Sound, and with members throughout Bruce and Grey Counties, GBREC is rapidly positioning itself as an innovative provider of sustainable energy alternatives. GBREC is dedicated to public education about energy conservation and the need for clean electricity, development of clean wind-generated electricity, and sales of products and services that reduce energy consumption. Media Contacts: Sky Generation Inc. Grey Bruce Renewable Energy Co-operative Inc. |
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