Barrie Examiner article, 19 August...

(STAFF) -- No matter what the future may hold for Ontario's Green Energy Act, solar is here to stay, says Elizabeth McDonald.

McDonald, who will be in the Barrie area today, heads up the Canadian Solar Industry Association, which has determined through surveys that free energy from the sun is the most popular of alternative energy sources.

"It's a desirable energy source because, first of all, it's free," she said. "It's absolutely green and clean. We're part of the future, part of the present, actually."

An increased focus and use means harnessing energy from the sun also becomes cheaper, she adds.

McDonald is on a media tour leading up to this fall's provincial election to advocate for the use of solar power. Her association represents 650 solar energy companies across Canada.

Solar panels have been popping up all over Ontario -- on fields and on rooftops -- as a result of the province's Green Energy and Green Economy Act.

With the Act, the Ontario government considers itself the leader in North America on the alternative energy front. The plan is to introduce more energy sources in the province's plan to move away from dirty coal plants

As he tours the province in his pre-election travels, Ontario's Conservative leader Tim Hudak says he'll scrap the Act if he becomes premier and do away with what he describes as an expensive experiment.

McDonald, who says she has served as a "change agent" in the past, said the association can work with whatever government leads the province.

But, she added, solar is becoming an increasingly popular alternative, with prices dropping by up to 40% during the past two years as a result of both technological advancements and more widespread panel manufacturing. And, it has proven to be an attractive investment here.

In 2011 alone, she said, the private sector has invested $2 billion into Ontario's solar industry, resulting in the creation of 8,200 jobs.

By 2018, she predicts potential investment of almost $13 billion and 74,000 new jobs.

"The environmental benefits from solar is strong," she said. "Solar is the only energy form whose price keeps going down."

McDonald recommends that the government reduce the price it pays with solar to reflect the dropping price for solar installations and she supports a review of the prices.

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