The wind and solar supply chains in Ontario  are undergoing rapid changes as a result of the   Ontario  Green Energy and Green Economy Act and the feed-in tariff (FIT)  program.  For this ambitious program to succeed Ontario needs to build stable and competitive wind and solar industries.  The Ontario Feed-In Tariff Supply Chain Forum  brings together developers, manufacturers, suppliers and FIT program administrators to explore the issues and roadblocks to making the Ontario FIT program a success.

As the domestic content rules come in to force, many are concerned that the ambitious local content requirements will be hard to meet in the timescale required. There are also concerns over the reliability and economics of manufacturing core components for solar and wind in Ontario. Additionally, there are concerns that connectivity and transmission issues will undermine the viability of many projects. This timely event with  50+ speakers , will answer the  critical questions  surrounding the challenges and opportunities of building the  renewable energy supply chains in Ontario .

The questions to be addressed include:

Who is entering the Ontario market to provide wind and solar equipment and infrastructure?

What are the latest updates on domestic conten t requirements for wind and solar projects?

Hear from these top wind and solar project developers:

Anthony Zlahtic, Director, Business Development Capital Power Corporation

Rob Miller, Vice President of Canadian Development, Axio Power

David Timm, Vice President of Strategic Affairs, International Power Canada

David Brochu, Vice President of Development for the Eastern Region of North America, Recurrent Energy

Charles Edey, President, Leader Resources Services / Owner/Operator, Magnum Wind Energy Corp.

Richard Leverton, Chief Media Relations Officer, Hybridyne Power Systems Canada

John Kourtoff,  CEO, Trillium Power

James Marsden, Chief, Alderville First Nation

Kyle Rees, Vice President, Operations, Ozz Solar

Michael Lord, Vice President of Planning & Operations, Gilead Power

Thomas Cleland, President, Hybridyne Power Systems Canada

Jose Menendez, Business Development Manager, Pristine Power

Jason Gray, Vice President, Canada, SunEdison

Chris Young, General Manager, Enfinity Canada

Learn from wind and solar manufacturing leaders including:

Cynthia Wong, Business Development Manager, Vestas Americas

Marc-Antoine Renaud, Business Development Manager, Enercon

Ben Kennedy, Business Development Leader, GE Energy

Michael Barczak, VP of Sales, DMI Industries

John Stonier, Vice President, Day4 Energy

Martin Pochtaruk, President, Heliene Canada

Sean Moore, CEO, Unconquered Sun Solar Technologies

Jared Donald, Managing Director, Conergy Canada

Ian MacLellan, Vice-Chairman, President of the PV Cell Division, Arise Technologies

Get the latest updates from regulators:

Mark Graham, Director, Business Development & External Relations, Hydro One Networks

Bob Chow, Director, Transmission Integration, Ontario Power Authority

Leo Tasca, Manager of Renewable Energy Unit, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure

Michael Killeavy, Director, Contract Management, Ontario Power Authority

Jon Norman, Director, Transmission and Distribution Policy, Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure

Tim Karlsson, Director of Energy Industries, Industry Canada

Kim Warren, Director of Planning and Assessment, Independent Electricity  System Operator (IESO)

Hear from industry associations and renewable energy experts:

Susan McLean, Regional Director, Partnerships, Sustainable Development Technology Canada  

Elizabeth McDonald, President, Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA)

David Butters, President, The Association of Power Producers of Ontario (APPRO)

Ian Shepanik, Management Consultant, AMEC Engineering

Jon Worren, Founder, ClearSky Advisors

Kristopher Stevens, Executive Director, Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA)

Michael Richmond, Partner & Co-Chair, Energy Law, McMillan LLP

Paul Clipsham, Director of Policy and Business Intelligence, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) Ontario

Uwe Roeper, President, Ortech Consulting

Dale Reckman, Director, Field Services, Great Lakes Wind Network (GLWN)

Andrew Kinross, Director, Energy, Navigant Consulting

John Loucks, Past Chair and Director, Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) Board

Plus get the views of top debt and equity investors:

Louis Belanger, Director, Structure and Project Financing, Stonebridge Financial Corporation

Rob Nicholson, Managing Director Energy, RBC Capital Markets

Michael Switt, Managing Director, Project Finance, Manulife Financial

Geraint Breeze, Executive Director, Project Finance and Infrastructure, CIBC

Deborah Doncaster, Executive Director, Community Power Fund

Michael Bernstein, President, Macquarie Capital Fund Canada

Day 1, October 5, 2010

Local Content Supply Chain Roadmap – where we are at, where we need to be, how are we going to get there?

• Developers’ views on the current status of the wind and solar supply chains
• Who is entering the marketplace and what they see as the challenges and benefits
• Evaluating how the supply chain needs to scale-up to meet existing and future demand
• Industry and government views on facilitating cooperation between developers, manufacturers and regulators

Guaranteeing the Local Supply Chain: Policy Commitments to Developers and Manufacturers

• Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure overview of domestic content requirements
• OPA update on FIT contract approvals
• Government programs to support the growth of wind and solar supply chains

Success Strategies and Challenges for Developers

• Progress reports from wind and solar FIT project developers
• Meeting accelerated timescales and local content challenges
• Building strategic partnerships to overcome supply chain gaps
• Assessing the opportunities and risks of developing projects in Ontario
• Addressing technical, reliability, pricing and certification concerns
• Looking ahead to round two: meeting increased domestic content requirements

Day 2, October 6, 2010

Expanding Grid Capacity in Ontario: Developing a Renewable Energy Infrastructure

• Update from Hydro One Networks on transmission and distribution expansion plans
• OPA view on the Economic Connection Test (ECT) and outlook for transmission expansion
• Understanding current and future capacity for renewable energy connection
• Evaluating the risk that current FIT projects will not have transmission to connect to
• Clarifying the distance limitation criteria and identifying the best locations for future FIT projects

Suppliers’ Perspectives on the Opportunities and Risks of the Ontario Market (two concurrent sessions)

Challenges in the Wind Supply Chain – Strategic Solutions for Core Components and Capabilities

• Who is stepping into the market to manufacture blades and other large components
• Wind suppliers’ views on regional supply chain bottlenecks and meeting FIT requirements
• Local content challenges for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)
• Opportunities for core component manufacturers and service providers
• Exploring potential partnerships between developers and OEMs 

Evaluating the Solar Supply Chain: Delivering Skills, Technologies and Facilities to meet Demand

• Suppliers views on local content demands and infrastructure challenges
• Analyzing the challenges and benefits of entering the Ontario market
• Evaluating the competitiveness and reliability of local solar suppliers
• Examining opportunities for technology transfers and exports
• Determining the long-term viability of Ontario’s solar supply chain

Finance and Investment Strategies

• Debt and equity investor views on supply chain constraints and domestic content
• Identifying potential sources of financing for wind and solar FIT projects
• Bonuses and pitfalls of investing in a FIT contract: price escalation issues
• Beyond the capital markets: provincial, federal and regional funding programs
• Strategic steps FIT project developers can take to quantify and mitigate financial risk

Forum Sponsors

Supporting Organisations

Participating Organisations