Top wind and solar experts to speak at Ontario Feed-in Tariff Supply Chain
Forum

Event focuses on building renewable energy supply chains in Ontario

TORONTO, July 27 /CNW/ - Over 50 renewable energy experts are confirmed to speak at the upcoming Ontario Feed-in Tariff Supply Chain Forum, taking place October 5-6 in Toronto.

This industry critical event will bring together wind and solar developers, manufacturers, suppliers and regulators to discuss the key challenges and opportunities for building Ontario's renewable energy supply chains.

The region's wind and solar industries are undergoing rapid changes as a result of the Green Energy Act's feed-in tariff (FIT) program which supports renewable energy development on a grand scale. For this ambitious program to succeed, Ontario needs to build stable and competitive wind and solar supply chains. This timely event with 50+ speakers will answer the critical questions surrounding the development of the province's renewable energy industries.

The Ontario FIT Supply Chain Forum will bring together regulators, developers, manufacturers, industry associations and financiers to provide clarity, certainty and momentum to the centre piece of the Ontario Green Energy and Economy Act. "The forum provides an excellent platform for project developers, wind and solar manufacturers, and regulators to discuss the key questions surrounding the development of the region's renewable energy industries including the latest updates on domestic content requirements, Economic Connection Tests (ECTs) and grid expansion," says Adrienne Baker, Director of Canadian Clean Energy Conferences, the event organizer.

More than 250 renewable energy projects are currently awaiting ECT approval which means they were either deemed not economically viable under existing transmission and distribution capacities or they were stalled due to other technical issues. The OPA will begin re-evaluating these projects through the ECT test in early August and determine whether expansions to the grid change their viability.

Bob Chow, Director of Transmission Integration at the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), will be presenting on the status of the FIT connection assessment process and providing more detail on the ECT at the forum. "While the OPA has played an important role in the upfront work related to renewable generation development, I'm looking forward to seeing the real work that is required to bring the developments to life - thanks to the hard work of many of the people attending this conference," comments Chow.

A strong group of industry organizations and partners are supporting the event including the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA), The Great Lakes Wind Network (GLWN), the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA), the Association of Power Producers of Ontario (APPrO), Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME), the Canadian Renewable Energy Alliance (CanREA), Navigant Consulting, and McMillan LLP.

Confirmed speakers include experts from developers, OEMs, suppliers, FIT program authorities, and finance professionals including:

    
    -   Bob Chow, Director, Transmission Integration, Ontario Power Authority
    -   Jon Norman, Director, Transmission & Distribution, Ministry of Energy
        & Infrastructure
    -   Mark Graham, Director, Business Dev. & External Relations, Hydro One
        Networks
    -   Cynthia Wong, Business Development Manager, Vestas Americas
    -   Rob Miller, Vice President of Canadian Development, Axio Power
    -   Marc-Antoine Renaud, Business Development Manager, Enercon
    -   David Timm, Vice President of Strategic Affairs, International Power
        Canada
    -   John Stonier, Vice President, Day4 Energy
    -   Ben Kennedy, Business Development Leader, GE Energy
    -   Kyle Rees, Vice President of Operations, Ozz Solar
    -   Mike Switt, Managing Director, Project Finance, Manulife Financial
    -   Jason Gray, Director of Canadian Operations, SunEdison
    -   Elizabeth McDonald, President, Canadian Solar Industries Association
        (CanSIA)
    -   Kristopher Stevens, Executive Director, Ontario Sustainable Energy
        Association (OSEA)
    -   Geraint Breeze Executive Director, Project Finance & Infrastructure,
        CIBC
    

For more information on the forum, visit www.ontariofitsupplychain.com.

About Canadian Clean Energy Conferences:

We are a conference company specialising in clean energy and sustainable water events in Canada. We have over 15 years experience in professional business-to-business events and have been focusing on energy, corporate sustainability and water management events for the last five. There is real opportunity for Canada to lead the world in clean energy and sustainable water use and we are here to help drive this. We aim to support federal, provincial and corporate initiatives by producing dynamic, world-class conferences. www.canadianclean.com

For further information: Adrienne Baker, Ph: 819-459-1162 or [email protected]