Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program, RESOP or SOP

Green Energy Act is expected to use the same basic process but will pay at 80 cents/kW almost doubling the ROI

Note: Sept 29 2009 - New Ontario Feed-in Tariff (FIT) and Micro Feed-in Tariff (MicroFIT) launched. For up-to-date information on this program that replaces RESOP see - OPA FIT web site.

This page is being developed to provide a straight forward step-by-step explanation of how to take advantage of the Green Energy Act (formerly the Ontario RESOP/SOP program) for small scale generators. In particular this example describes how John Wilson added a solar PV (photo voltaic) panels as an awning on the south side of his house. Ten Sharp 120 solar panels were used. The supply and installation was done by Solera Energies a leading Canadian provider and installer of renewable energy systems.

1. Get a quote for the number of solar panels you can afford. Consider getting a loan or line of credit to finance the system. Some utilities and financial instituations provide interest free loans for these types of investments. We got a quote from Solera Energies for both the equipment, awning structure and installation. Approximately half the quote is for the awning structure which is a key part of elliminating the need for any air conditioning in the summer.

Quote PDF

2. Apply for a contract with OPA (Ontario Power Authority). Get all the details on the program which currently pays 42 cents/kW for every bit you generate with solar PV (while with the Green Energy Act the rate you will get paid is expected to be 80 cents/kW for solar PV).

Ontario Power Authority - Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program (RESOP)

For a complicated view of the process you should go through to get your solar system on the RESOP program.

Solar PV Projects web site

You can start the application form even before you finalize the quote. You can begin to compete the form and save it until you are ready to finally submit it. The online system explains what you need to submit and when.

Online Application for RESOP web site

Completed documents that must eventually be faxed, emailed or mailed to OPA are...

OPA Application Form Completed Example PDF Form

Along with the completed OPA SOP contract form the following also had to be sent in. Solera helped prepare most of these documents:

Single Line Diagram PDF - our diagram shows an existing "net meter" setup that we had installed in 2002 in addition to the new RESOP/SOP solar PV system being applied for.

Connection Agreement with Hydro One PDF - OPA asked that we send this to them as a part of the application.

OPA Authorization Letter PDF - Exhibit B - allows OPA to get information on our Hydro One utility account

3. Solar system was installed by Solera in compliance with Green Energy Act, SOP and ESA (Electrical Safety Authority) standards. It took a few days. They did a great job including preparing the system a new second meter base and directly wired through the electrical panel until the new meter is installed by Hydro One.

4. ESA inspection was requested by Solera. ESA inspector came by the house and took pictures. He approved the setup in principle from what he saw and put a sticker on the new empty meter base. We then received the approval paper from ESA.

5. We then requested that Hydro One install the new second meter for mesurement of generation by new solar panels. They first had someone do an inspection of the setup. Several months later after they got around to installing the new meter (an Elster smart meter that measures both consumption and generation). They happened to also replace our consumption meter at the same time (to an Elster smart meter as well). So we now have two smart meters...one for the consumption (which includes net meter of existing solar PV and Wind renewable energy system installed six years ago) and a new smart meter for the new Solar PV generation on the OPA RESOP (now Green Energy Act - FIT) program. You can see the details of this in the Single Line Diagram above. The new smart meters being installed by Hydro One are the Elster A1R models. They appear to register electricity movement in both directions, consumption and generation (in to the house system and also anything being generated on the circuit in excess of what is being consumed that goes back onto the grid).

Before the new meter was installed I had to pay for it. Hydro One asked that we pay $930 for the new meter, installation service and tax. Although the service order does not detail the cost breakdown my understanding is that the meter cost about $100, so the service and taxes for what should have taken just a few minutes of install time (according to Hydro One literature on smart meter install process). For that service it would appear I paid about $700.

6. With the new meter installed I called Hydro One customer service to ask when I'd start getting my cheques for the my solar PV generated electricity. Hydro One confirmed that they will send a package for the RESOP program now that the meter is installed. They tell me I must complete some forms and then I should finally start getting paid the 42 cents/kW for the new solar PV systems generation. Can't wait to get the first cheque. Not quite so fast! Waited a bit but then finally after calls to Hydro One failed to provide any answer, remebered that the OPA web site suggest I need to send in declaration of operation letter.

7. Finally think I've figured out what forms are required to complete the process. On the OPA web site and in the email confirming my RESOP contract it says I need to send both OPA and Hydro One my "Declaration of Commercial Operation". I should have known it would be something like this. The template for this document which I completed and emailed to each party can be found on the OPA web site - here.

8. Got my first cheque from Hydro One, on behalf of OPA for $16 for the first month of generation which happens to be January/February the months with the least amount of sunlight and only a partial period at that. I was asked by Hydro One commercial payments group to send a VOID cheques so they can direct deposit my payments. I've done that so next quarter (they pay quarterly) I should get a good amount in the several hundreds of dollars. Now I just farm the sunlight falling on my house and get paid for the next 20+ years. I am officially a solar farmer. Now it is your turn. Get farming!

Got another cheque for $200 for the first full quarter (end of winter early fall service period) on May 29, 2009.

Got our third payment for the summer quarter on Sept 29, 2009 for $285.60.

PS - September 29, 2009 - Now that all is working with the RESOP connection I've gone back to Hydro One to get my eight year old solar PV (400 watt) and 1 kW wind turbine activated on the Net Meter program. I had agreed to leave this for later with Hydro One to make the RESOP setup the focus. For the eight years before getting the new solar PV system we had been running the old style meter backwards essentially getting the benefit of net metering...roughly 12 cents/kW. With the install of a new meter Hydro One installed a replacement meter for the consumption meter in addition to a new meter for the RESOP generation measurement. As it turns out the new RESOP system was configured "in series" with the new solar PV going back through our panel. This is "behind the meter". As of about a week ago (after about six months of trying to get an answer on this) Hydro One has confirmed that they think I need to be on a "parallel" connectin rather than "series" with the new RESOP so that I can properly take advantage and measure my Net Meter on the new consumption meter that has two registers. With series connection their concern is that the second register is measuring excess generation from both my eight year old solar/wind system AND the new RESOP. The Net Meter setup is only supposed to be for the eight year old system. So, I've got to request a "disconnect" and have my installer wire the RESOP connection to be "in front" of the consumption meter. It all makes sense once you see all the wires and think about what were are required to do. Unfortunate that it took all this time and effort to discover the setup needs to be switched. In either case the RESOP meter measurements are fine so it is only the Net Meter that I am missing out on until we get the parallel connection setup.