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On September 24th, in conjunction with the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) Program, the Ontario Government announced the MicroFIT Program (MicroFIT). MicroFIT is for small renewable generation, up to 10 kw in size. To be eligible for a MicroFIT Contract, the generator must be renewable, have its own meter, be capable of being connected to a local distribution grid (in other words, not "off-grid"), and have a "nameplate" (manufacturer's total installed rated capacity) capacity of 10 kw or less. In addition, it must not have an existing OPA Contract (although this may change). It can be an addition to an existing renewable generator by the same owner with the same technology, using the same connection point and metering, provided the combined facility is under the 10 kw ceiling. MicroFIT is a streamlined, user-friendly version of the FIT Program for individuals, small businesses, and communities. A community, in this case, can be a not-for-profit corporation, a co-op, an institution such as a church or school, or simply a group of individuals.
Price
The OPA will pay the 80.2 cents per kilowatt hour for power from small scale solar photovoltaic generation, and 13.5 cents for power from wind machines, for a contract period of 20 years. Power from water, biomass, and landfill gas will receive 13.1 cents kwh, 13.8 cents kwh, and 11.1 cents kwh, respectively, for 20 years, except water power, which gets a 40 year contract. The base prices are fixed for 20 (40) years. In addition, twenty percent (20%) of the revenue from the generator is indexed to the Consumer Price Index annually, except for solar photovoltaic facilities.
