While the government reviewed the Green Energy Act over the past 18 months, it issued no new feed-in-tariff contracts. Some solar panel factories lured to the region went out of business, while others trimmed staff.
The province released changes to the Green Energy Act this summer that created a competition system for FIT projects. Higher priority is given to municipally supported proposals, while solar installations on the roofs of public buildings are favoured over private facilities. The law now restricts ground-mounted solar projects near residential areas and reduced the amount paid to green electricity producers.
Wind projects are subject to the same competition system and while communities can’t kill a development, they can deny it support, which hurts it in the competition evaluated on a point system. Points are given to projects if they meet certain criteria like having community support or use of a public building.
The green energy industry is trying to work out the kinks and figure out how to survive. Unconquered Sun owner Sean Moore rode out the lows of the green energy business by creating new products like a solar-powered golf cart and adjusting to new regulations. When the province created the competition system for solar FIT contracts, Unconquered Sun, which manufacturers solar panels, altered its plans.