Tim Weis, Director of the Pembina Institute's Renewable Energy and Efficiency Program, made the following statement in response to Nova Scotia's Plan:
"The plan put forward today outlines important steps to show how Canada's province that is most dependent on coal power can take major strides to reduce that dependence by using renewable power and notably community-based projects.
Today's plan places a welcome emphasis on community power by creating a "feed-in tariff" (FIT) limited to communities, co-ops, farmers and First Nations. Broad-based feed-in tariffs have been shown to be the most successful policy at driving renewable power globally and at the lowest costs. If it's implemented well, Nova Scotia's FIT will enable its citizens to get engaged and involved in their clean energy future - and make a profit doing so.
There are many important details to be ironed out in the regulations, notably ensuring that community projects have the right to access the grid and that as many technologies are included as possible, but today's plan points the ship in the right direction.
Nova Scotia is setting a leadership example for other coal dependent provinces, such as Alberta and Saskatchewan, to follow."
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Nova Scotia's Renewable Energy Plan is available at: www.gov.ns.ca/energy/resources/EM/renewable/renewable-electricity-plan.pdf
The Pembina Institute is a non-partisan sustainable energy think tank.
For more information, contact:
Tim Weis
Director, Renewable Energy and Efficiency
The Pembina Institute
Tel: 613.216.1976, ext. 22
Cel: 613.601.6519
Email timw@pembina.org