Just listening to Neil Young on the radio as I contemplate writing this, and I am amazed at the appropriateness of the verse. Yesterday I spoke with a module (solar panel) supplier that was telling me they now only have 1MW of panels available for the balance of the year. This is just 100 - 10kW systems for Ontario.

The reason? Germany just reopened their FIT program, and the world is now scrambling to ship product there. Ontario has lost its position in the industry, and we will be feeling the impact of this before the end of the year.

To review Ontario's position:

1. No one can plan any projects in Ontario as the OPA could change the rates or program at anytime.
2. The OPA will lower their rates at anytime should they determine that the individuals or companies that are planning on investing tens of thousand or millions of dollars in Ontario are earning too much, regardless of how they determine this.
3. Solar installer companies have laid-off employees because of the OPA's delay in processing applications. These same companies will be reluctant to ramp up staff again, and will most likely spread out installations as applications are approved. This will result in less installations before the end of the year, even if the OPA releases many of them.
4. Ontario made product is not very plentiful, and international companies will not be looking to inventory product here that basically we be unsaleable after December 2010.
5. Manufactures have pulled back from setting up in Ontario. If the OPA lowers a rate in one area, that impacts their orders, why would they expect that every other rate is not in jeopardy? Why invest in production facilities, when the program's continuation is in question, as the OPA has suggested with the rate reduction.
6. Ontario made product will be more expensive than internationally made products (we do not have the volume to get costs down). This will kill ground mount microFIT projects in 2011 and I suspect it will make many FIT sized projects not economically attractive. I expect that many of these projects will die as well.

I heard at a local Switch meeting, just after the FIT program was launched, that the best thing the OPA could now do was to not mess with the program they setup. Too bad for us they weren't at the meeting.