Guelph-Eramosa councillors recently offered varying degrees of support for two local solar projects. At its meeting earlier this month, council agreed in principle to support the idea of a 330 kilowatt rooftop solar array system at a private business owned by Coldpoint Properties on Whitelaw Road near Guelph.
Mayor Chris White said other than providing verbal support for the system, which will consist of over 1,700 solar panels, it really has little to do with the township.
“If they want to put it on their own roof, we’re going to be supportive,” said White.
He explained that under the provincial government’s points system, as part of the feed-in tariff (FIT) program, projects that receive municipal support are looked upon more favourably than those that don’t.
(Earlier this year, Guelph-Eramosa offered similar support for a 100 to 150kW solar project on the roof of one or two buildings at the Ignatius centre north of Guelph).
The other project supported by council on Aug. 7 was the solar project for the Eden Mills community hall.
Council offered to submit an application on behalf of the Eden Mills Community Club, which could not meet the deadline, but it was discovered that doing so would mean starting from scratch and the club, which co-owns the building with the township, would lose its place in line under the government’s micro-FIT program.
The township and club will now have to re-apply in September for the 5kW project, which club officials have said would now be mounted on the hall’s roof because ground-mounted projects – as originally proposed – are no longer accepted under new micro-FIT rules.
