Hydro Costs in Ontario
I realize that for many US based Companies, your operations in Ontario represent a small segment of your overall business. Your firms’ which were founded in the USA and were successful, naturally expanded into Canada and Ontario. The two (2) jurisdictions are similar in many respects with the same business needs, general legal protections. However, now due to the price of hydro in Ontario and the savings’ from investing in energy efficiency/direct generation represent an opportunity to save a considerable amount of money.
As I have mentioned throughout this entire website, Ontario, has the highest industrial /Commercial Hydro rates in continental North America. In the USA and using the Energy Information Administration (EIA) data from their website, the average price of hydro in the USA is 7.21 cents per kWh for Industrial users, 11.03 for Commercial and 10 cents per kWh for the transportation sector. This is compared to 18.5 to 23 cents per kWh in Ontario. The hydro prices in the rest of Canada are also reasonable compared to those of Ontario. Many of those Provinces are also slowly introducing incentives for solar and other energy efficiency programs etc. Given this, I believe that your operations in Ontario should be the focus of any capital projects to improve energy efficiency/save money.
The laws of physics, economics, and thermodynamics make onsite generation and Combined Heat & Power systems financially viable options. The spark spread for hydro only is at least $35mm/btu’s (in Cdn). In fact, every option including solar is cheaper than the grid. I can offer a combination of all of the above to fit your corporate image, power profile and physical outlay of any individual operations.
The simple fact is that at this moment solar/batteries/on-site generation both in conjunction with each other (or on a standalone basis) are all cheaper than buying from the grid. The best combination of the above alternatives will depend upon again, the specific hydro usage profile and outlay of any facility.
I can even arrange for a Power Purchasing Agreement (PPA) with a local solar developer who will produce hydro to replace current consumption in order to save your firm money. That developer will take all the risks and can save on your hydro coats costs without any capital expenditures in Ontario. I can arrange and do the same for any generator/CH & Power system.