Canadian Green Events in Ontario Nov.12,18 & 27 and Dec.3, 2012

This video presents “Inside look at tunnel under Niagara Falls”:

Nov. 8, 2012: Ontario Announced that the Niagara Tunnel Project Nears Completion

This is an update to my previous blog BIG BECKY Boring Phase is Now Completed for the Niagara Tunnel Project.

The Niagara Tunnel Project will divert water from the Niagara River and carry it to the Niagara Falls generating stations.

• With the completion of the concrete lining for the 10.2 kilometre tunnel
  • About 500,000 cubic metres of concrete were used to line the tunnel – enough to build a sidewalk from Windsor to Quebec City
  • The tunnel liner wall is 60 centimetres thick and made of cast-in-place concrete

• Ontario is building clean, renewable power; creating 400 jobs

•  When completed in 2013, the tunnel will allow:

  • Additional water from the Niagara River to flow to the Sir Adam Beck Generating Station at a rate of 500 cubic metres per second

  • Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to increase output at the Sir Adam Beck generating stations by about 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours

    • This will supply Ontario with enough clean, renewable electricity to power 160,000 homes

• The Niagara Tunnel Project is the largest renewable energy project of its type under construction anywhere in the world and has brought approximately $1 billion in economic benefits to the region

Did you know?

• Niagara Tunnel is as high as a four-storey building, and will propel water at a rate of 500 cubic metres per second, fast enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in a matter of seconds

• Grade two students from Port Weller School in Niagara Fall have presented a time capsule that will be opened in 50 years when the Niagara Tunnel will still be a key part of Ontario’s energy system

• Since 2003, more than 100 megawatts of new and refurbished waterpower projects have come online in Ontario – enough power for about 50,000 homes

Ontario Ministry of Energy Contact Info:

• ontario.ca/energy

• For public inquiries call: 1-888-668-4636

• TTY: 1-800-239-4224

Solar power program launches at McGregor Park Arena

Today, Nov. 12, 2012, at the McGregor Park Arena, 2231 Lawrence Ave. E., Councillor Michael Thompson (Ward 37 Scarborough Centre), Chair of Toronto’s Economic Development Committee  joined Jim Baxter, Director, Energy and Strategic Initiatives, City of Toronto and Jack Simpson, Manager, Capacity Planning & Generation, Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited to celebrate the official launch of a joint program between the City of Toronto and Toronto Hydro that will see 10 city-owned buildings across Toronto outfitted with more than 8,800 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.

• The energy from the panels will be fed into Toronto Hydro‘s electrical grid:
  • Generating over $16 million in gross revenues for the City over 20 years
  • Will also help to increase the security of Toronto’s electricity supply

• The electricity will be purchased under the terms of Feed-in-Tariff contracts with the Ontario Power Authority, a program to encourage project developers to invest in generation, transmission and distribution, so that even more renewable energy sources can be incorporated into Ontario’s electricity system

• The PV installations will generate approximately 2,600 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity annually, which is roughly equivalent to the consumption of 215 households, and will result in the reduction of approximately 480 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year
  • At least 60 per cent of the PV equipment will be made in Ontario, which will help support the growth of the solar energy industry in the province

EcoFair at the Barns

 FREE

Green Neighbours 21 invites you to EcoFair at the Barns, a FREE event that  is co-sponsored with Transition Toronto and WBCA (Wychwood Barns Community Association)

Windfall Ecology Centre

The Ontario Power Authority and local electric utilities have joined together under the Home Assistance Program.

• This is a FREE  program designed to help income-eligible Ontario homeowners, tenants and social and/or assisted housing providers improve the energy efficiency of their homes or buildings in the following service areas:
  • Oshawa PUC Networks Inc.
  • Veridian Connections Inc.
  • Whitby Hydro Electric Corporation

• The Home Assistance Program includes three key elements:
  
  1. A detailed in-home Energy Assessment
  2. Professional Installation of upgrades such as:
     • Energy-saving light bulbs
     • A power bar
     • A low-flow showerhead
     • Faucet aerators
     • A programmable thermostat
     • Weatherstripping around doors and windows
     • Refrigerator
     • Room air conditioner
     • Attic or basement insulation
  3. Helpful Advice about energy-saving strategies as well as how to use new energy-saving upgrades to maximize homeowners’  benefits

• There are a few criteria for eligible buildings and people
  • Please click on the following text to learn more:
    • Eligible Person
    • Eligible Building

• Also, for more info and to get the applicable application form, please click here

Shedding a Light on Solar Energy

FREE

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

7:00pm

Windfall Ecology Centre
93A Industrial Parkway South
Aurora, ON   L4G 3V5

Please click here for directions

Homeowners are invited to attend a free solar information session hosted by Windfall Ecology Centre:

• find out how you can tap into the power of the sun

• learn about financing options and positive cash flow

• discover the basics of a solar array installation

• The information session will be held at Windfall Centre,
  • Located in a heritage manor home within picturesque Sheppard’s Bush Conservation Area
  • Enjoy coffee and snacks
  • Take a tour of the house
  • Learn about Windfall’s own solar installation
  • Check out their electric vehicle and charging station!

“Whether this is your first time thinking about solar, or whether you have considered solar in the past, now is the time to act  as the price of solar arrays have dropped in recent months, and it is now more affordable than ever.”

Windfall Ecology Centre:

• provides full service renewable energy project management and turn key solutions
  • From detailed solar assessments and feasibility to grid connection, they help home owners, community groups, corporations and municipalities through the process of installing Solar Photo Voltaic systems

• has over a decade of success in designing and implementing innovative environmental programming

Please click here for more information about Windfall Centre’s Solar Program.

If you cannot attend their FREE information session, a member of Windfall’s solar advisor team would be happy to meet with you one-on-one, at your convenience, to discuss solar opportunities.