What is the Role of Northern Ontario Wires Inc.?
· Biomass
·
Biogas
·
Landfill gas
·
On-shore and off-shore
wind
·
Solar photovoltaic (PV)
·
Water power
By encouraging the development of renewable energy in Ontario, the
FIT Program will help Ontario phase out coal-fired electricity
generation by 2014 – the largest climate change initiative in North
America.
The FIT Program was enabled by the
Green Energy and Green Economy
Act, 2009 which was passed into law on May 14, 2009. The Ontario
Power Authority (OPA) is responsible for implementing the program.
It is responsible for the program rules, contracts, registration,
application and contracting processes and ongoing contract
management activities.
The program is divided into two streams – FIT and MicroFIT. The FIT Program is designed for renewable energy projects that can generate more than 10 kilowatts (kW) of electricity. Very small projects, at a home or small business that can generate 10 kW or less qualify under the MicroFIT Program.
What is the Role of Northern Ontario Wires Inc.?
Northern Ontario Wires and other
Ontario local distribution companies are accountable for delivering
electricity from the high-voltage transmission system to homes,
businesses and public institutions within its service area. In the
FIT Program, NOW Inc. is responsible for connecting both FIT and
MicroFIT projects to the distribution system. NOW Inc. will assess
and approve the connection of renewable energy projects to the
low-voltage distribution system. We will also help projects complete
their system connection.
Participants must register with the
OPA, find the right equipment supplier to install the project and
then connect their project through NOW Inc. To get more information
on how to connect your project to NOW’s distribution system please
visit the Ontario Power Authority’s website as follows:
http://microfit.powerauthority.on.ca/
The MicroFIT program is designed for
renewable projects that can generate 10 kilowatts (kW) of
electricity or less.
If you are a homeowner or small
business owner, you have the opportunity to develop a very small or
“micro” renewable electricity generation project (10 kilowatts or
less in size) on your property. Under the MicroFIT Program, you will
be paid a guaranteed, premium price for all the electricity you
project produces for at least 20 years.
Once you’ve selected a renewable
energy technology and developed a project plans, signing up for the
MicroFIT program is straightforward. There is minimal paperwork and
there’s no application fee.
Listed below are the steps that need
to be carried out to ensure timely connection of renewable
micro-generation projects to NOW Inc.’s distribution system.
Initial Contact
Customer submits
Application to Connect –
MicroFIT and Single Line
Diagram.
Provision of Information
The customer must ensure compliance
with the OPA rules and with Electrical Safety Authority (ESA)
guidelines. NOW Inc. reviews the
Single Line Diagram to
ensure compliance with NOW’s safe utility practices and provides
connection details to the customer.
Generator Develops Plan
Customer reviews information obtained
from NOW Inc. and ESA and develops installation plan.
MicroFIT Contract
Customer must apply with the OPA for a
MicroFIT contract.
Offer to Connect
Once NOW Inc. reviews and approves a
Single Line Diagram, the customer will be given an
Offer to Connect.
Implementation
Customer proceeds with project
implementation.
Authorization to Connect
Customer is responsible for arranging
and receiving Authorization to
Connect from ESA.
Connection Agreement
Once all of the required customer work
and approvals are completed, a MicroFIT
Connection Agreement will
be signed by the customer and NOW Inc.
Commissioning and Verification
NOW Inc. may inspect generation
facility at any time.
Completion
Once the ESA’s
Authorization to Connect
is received, NOW Inc. will proceed with completing the connection of
generation facility to NOW’s distribution system.
Application
to Connect – MicroFIT
Sample Offer to Connect – MicroFIT
Sample
Connection Agreement – MicroFIT
Authorization to Connect – Link to ESA
