What is the ecoENERGY Renewable Initiative?

The ecoENERGY Renewable Initiative is an investment of more than $1.5 billion by the Government of Canada in two initiatives to make clean, low-impact renewable energy more available in Canada and less expensive. The two initiatives are ecoENERGY for Renewable Power and ecoENERGY for Renewable Heat.

ecoENERGY for Renewable Power

What is ecoENERGY for Renewable Power?

The $1.48 billion investment in ecoENERGY for Renewable Power will boost Canada's supply of clean electricity from renewable sources like wind, biomass, small hydro and ocean energy by up to 4,000 megawatts.

An incentive of one cent per kilowatt hour for up to 10 years, for power produced by low-impact renewable energy sources, will be offered to eligible projects constructed over the next four years.

What is the objective of ecoENERGY for Renewable Power?

The objective of ecoENERGY for Renewable Power is to kick-start Canada's “clean” power industries. It will help bring clean electricity prices more in line with those of conventionally generated electricity.

What will this new program achieve?

ecoENERGY for Renewable Power will significantly increase the electricity production from low-impact renewable energy sources such as wind, small hydro and biomass. The program will support up to 4000 megawatts (mw) of new renewable electricity capacity by 2011. These new sources of clean power will generate enough electricity for about 1 million homes.

In addition, by displacing fossil-fuel generation, the program will lead to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution equivalent to taking one million cars off the road.

What kinds of renewable power sources will be covered under the program?

ecoENERGY for Renewable Power is open to all low-impact renewable-energy technologies, including wind, small hydro, biomass, solar photovoltaic, geothermal, tidal and wave technologies that generate few or no harmful emissions.

ecoENERGY for Renewable Heat

What is ecoENERGY for Renewable Heat?

ecoENERGY for Renewable Heat is a $36 million program that will provide incentives and industry support for the use of renewable energy for heating. In addition, projects for residential solar heating technologies will be explored with partners such as utilities and community organizations.

How will the program work?

An incentive will be offered to purchasers of solar heating systems in the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors. The incentive will be set at 25 percent of the purchase, installation and certain other costs of a qualifying system.

In addition, in partnership with energy utilities, energy service companies, community groups and other interested partners, projects will be undertaken to explore increasing the market for residential solar hot water systems.

ecoENERGY for Renewable Heat will also help launch solar and geothermal technologies in the marketplace by supporting the development of standards and certification, promoting the adoption of these technologies in building codes and provincial and municipal regulations, and training energy designers, technicians and installers.

What results will the program achieve?

Preliminary estimates suggest that by 2011, the program will support the installation of solar space and water heating in about 700 buildings, as well as the installation of solar hot water systems into several thousand homes across the country.