It’s time for Toronto to start soaking up the sun.
Our new report finds that Toronto could meet 50-80% of its total electricity needsby tapping the power of the sun. It also finds that solar panels on parking lots, homes, schools, community centres and other buildings could produce six to nine times more power than the polluting Portlands gas-fired power plant on the city’s waterfront.
We need to tap into this low-cost source of climate and clean-air friendly energy now.
To do that, we need Toronto Hydro to pay residents and businesses a fair price for generating solar power that meets our needs without wrecking our climate. The city, province and Toronto Hydro also need to work together to remove red tape standing in the way of things like solar canopies on parking lots that can keep vehicles shaded, EVs charged and neighbourhoods cool.
At the urging of Toronto City Council, Toronto Hydro and the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) have been working on a report about how Toronto can meet its electricity needs while phasing out the Portlands gas plant.
On December 5th, the IESO will host a public webinar to discuss their draft report. This is an important opportunity for all of us to have a say on how to meet Toronto’s electricity needs – with clean, zero emissions solar, or growing reliance on polluting gas. Register here for the webinar and make sure Toronto is on track to get the gift of free energy from the sun!
And if you’re a Toronto East Ender, you can pick up a free “Phase Out Toronto’s Portlands Gas Plant – Power Up Renewables” lawn or window sign from our friends at Toronto East Residents for Renewable Energy (TERRE). Click here to find the nearest pick up location.
We can all have a brighter New Year if we make the right choices today. With many exciting ways to store power, even a grey November day can be a chance to shift from dirty gas to the perfect power of the sun and wind.