Investing in Spark Solar projects through the AGRIS Solar Co-op
A new farmer-owned solar energy co-operative has sprouted up in Ontario this month! AGRIS Solar Co-operative will join forces with SPARK SOLAR, an Ontario-based solar developer, to push installation of solar units across the region.
While SPARK SOLAR will oversee solar installations and overall business operations, the creation of AGRIS Solar Co-op will allow community members the ability to invest in local renewable energy projects.
According to the Chatham Daily News:
“The co-op is 100-per-cent owned and controlled by farmers and landowners in the province of Ontario who will be producing electricity,” said co-op board president David Malott. “The control and economic benefits remain with the owners of the co-op and the local communities where the activity and investment occurs.”
The new president of the board of directors for AGRIS Solar Co-operatives also noted that the goal is to install more than 1000 solar units across Ontario, which could power over 20,000 homes each year. The co-op is projected to hold more than $70 million in assets by the time the goal of 1000 installations is met. Its members will contribute $20,000 towards the cost of each solar module that generates up to 10 KW of energy. The solar power generated will be sold to Ontario Power Authority for a 20-year period at a rate of $0.802 per kilowatt-hour.
Plans for 1000 new solar units are cropping up in Ontario
This solar energy news shows that farmers can harvest more than crops – they’ll be growing clean, renewable energy, as well. Taking advantage of incentives in Ontario’s Green Energy Act and microFIT (Feed in Tariff) Program, the partnership between the AGRIS solar energy co-operative and SPARK SOLAR will advance renewable energy and grid expansion policies that will be a win-win for everyone in the region.
If you would like to learn more about the farmer-owned solar co-operative, you may wish to attend the public informational which will place across southwestern Ontario during the first week of April.
For more information, please contact:
AGRIS Co-operative Ltd.
Jim Campbell
General Manager
(519) 354-7178
jimc@agris.coop
or
Southern Co-operative Services
Terry Stevenson
Communications Manager
(519) 438-1882
terrys@scscoop.com
Tags: AGRIS, agris solar, farmer-owned solar energy, feed in tariff, microFIT, ontario green energy act, ontario power authority, solar energy co-operative, solar energy news, spark solar
