Council has been asked to provide support for a proposal to install several ground-mounted solar arrays on abandoned rail line property in the township.
Dennis German of German Solar Corporation says his company, based in London, has built more than 50 solar projects in Ontario since it was founded about 15 years ago.
German said the company is planning to submit FIT (Feed In Tariffs) 5.0 applications to Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator for four small scale ground-mounted solar projects: one near Moorefield and three others off Sideroad 12, Sideroad 6 and Wellington Road 9.
As part of the application process, priority points are awarded to those applications with municipal council support and German asked Mapleton council to provide documents indicating the township’s support.
German notes the projects would be located on abandoned CN rail corridors and occupy less than three acres. They would involve one or two rows of panels, 12 feet above the ground and either 300 (one row) or 700 (two rows) metres in length.
He noted weed control and access for farm operations is maintained in all cases.
German said the land targeted for the projects is not Class 1, 2 or 3 farmland.
“There’s very little land that we are able to access for solar projects,” he pointed out. “As you know, a lot of these abandoned railways have not been used for much more than trail systems and what not.”
German said the projects would not preclude use of the land as part of walking or snowmobile trials.
“If there’s an interest in the community we’re open to it,” he said.
Councillor Michael Martin said he is “a fan of solar equipment, especially for personal use.” However, he added, “I guess, the issue I take outside of that is more with the Green Energy Act … it’s not really accomplishing what we want it to.”
While acknowledging alternative energy projects such as the one proposed by German might become efficient in the long run, “In the interim, it actually drives cost of energy up,” he said.
“I think the Green Energy Act was created by a man or a woman in Toronto that drives an SUV around, probably red, and it makes them feel good about themselves to go home and think their energy comes from wind or solar.” While acknowledging alternative energy projects “have a lot of merit,” Martin stated, “as a guy that pays a hydro bill, I think in the short term these projects drive that cost up.”
German replied “we’re not getting anywhere near the feed in tariffs that we were getting” and he projected that “soon we’re going to be at grid parity or less.”
Mayor Neil Driscoll questioned the location of the projects and said some of the land targeted may already have been purchased by adjacent landowners.
“We are doing some title searches,” German conceded.
Council passed a motion, with Martin opposed, to accept German’s presentation for information and direct staff to provide a report outlining the details of the request and draft an associated support resolution.
The deadline for FIT 5.0 applications is Oct. 31 and German said awarding of contracts is anticipated in June or July. If the application is successful he expects construction would take place in 2018 and 2019.
“It’s a long journey to develop a solar project,” he stated.
