Ontario’s Green Energy Act; Solar Collection And Rooftops
By Jim Norman, President, OIRCA

It seems that you cannot pick up a construction or roofing industry magazine or journal these days without seeing an article on solar power collection and specifically photovoltaics (PVs).  The summer issue of this publication is no different.  We have included two articles on the topic including a “mini-project profile” reporting on Canada’s first building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system being installed on a City of Toronto water treatment plant.

We have also included an article submitted to us from Sanyo Canada, a company that is a major producer of PV panels; which brings me to Ontario’s Green Energy Act (GEA).  On May 14th of this year, Bill 150, the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009 was passed at Queen’s Park.

The Act has drawn a great deal of attention from around the world as Ontario has chosen to adopt a more European style model as opposed to the direction the U.S. has taken.  As it relates to PVs, the Bill introduces a Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program for solar collection.

The FIT program guarantees prices for electricity generated by solar PV systems for 20 years as a contract.  The prices per kW for rooftop collection range from a low of 53.9 cents all the way up to 80.2 cents per kWh and are based on the system’s capacity.  It is hoped that FITs will provide the necessary incentive and procurement mechanism to entice participation from industry and the public.

Rooftop solar collection, here we go again; using roofs for purposes other than keeping the environment out.  Just as we struggle with the overburden associated with green roofs we clearly have to acknowledge that PVs will pose unique problems for the roofing designer and contractor.

To begin with, PV systems have a working life of 25 to 30 years minimum.  The roof designer better make sure that the roofing system married to this PV system is robust enough to last at least that long.  The building owner will not want to experience the cost associated with potential roofing repairs or replacement.  The designer will also have to take into account maintenance requirements for both the roofing and PV systems including the cleaning of the solar collection panels or modules.

The roofing industry has been somewhat critical of the environmental movement in Canada, especially as it relates to green roofing and cool/reflective membranes.  Personally I have a better feeling about PVs as these systems provide something tangible; the production of electricity, whereas the debate continues as to whether the other two will have any impact in this country.
Still, the roofing industry must take a very proactive role as it relates to the development of PV technology.  Roof system design must reflect the fact that roofs will become a platform for solar collection systems and as we see thin film PV technology advance we must recognize that those solar panels will become integrated with the roofing membrane itself (as with the City of Toronto’s project).

Building owners who allow their rooftops to become “power plants” must realize that as with green roofs, maintenance is critical and in the case of PVs, rooftop traffic will increase along with the potential for membrane damage and leaks.

Environmentally we live in exciting times.  The Ontario Government’s Green Energy Act ensures that the development of renewable energy is a priority for this province.  Solar collection will play a large role in future power generation and I think that it is safe to say that companies who specialize in the solar integration process have their eyes on the acres and acres of flat roofing in this province.