Durham College students join dignitaries at the Whitby campus on April 8. Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Brad Duguid (back row, seventh from left) came to Whitby to announce funding for 184 new renewable energy projects in Ontario.

Durham College’s Whitby campus hosted an historic announcement April 8 when Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Brad Duguid revealed the government will fund 184 new renewable energy projects.

Joined by Joe Dickson, MPP of Ajax-Pickering, Rick Johnson, MPP of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock and Colin Andersen, CEO of Ontario Power Authority, the minister detailed plans to expand Ontario’s clean energy grid with solar, wind and water sources. These new projects are intended to help rid Ontario of coal-fired electricity generation by 2014.

The projects, expected to generate almost 2,500 megawatts of renewable energy for Ontario, fall under the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program. The program grants contracts to proposed renewable energy projects.

“These projects are the latest accomplishments of the Green Energy Act which is making Ontario a place of destination for green energy development, manufacturing, and expertise,” said Duguid. “The investments generated by FIT will not only create green jobs, but will also build a coal-free legacy for future generations.”

Durham College President Don Lovisa led the event, introducing the dignitaries in the college’s Skills Training Centre. He then took them on a tour to view the campus’s rooftop solar panels and wind turbines.

This announcement is in line with Durham College’s clean energy initiatives. The Whitby campus itself was a fitting staging ground for Duguid’s speech, as it is home to the college’s Renewable Energy Technician and Energy Audit programs which were launched in September 2009.

The Whitby campus has also been fitted with numerous facilities designed to teach students about clean energy, including energy auditing systems, computer simulation labs and an Incubation Centre for testing new products as part of the first phase of a $30-million, three-phase expansion. Phase 2 of the expansion will allow the college to introduce new programs in areas focused on sustainability while Phase 3 will focus on the culinary arts.

“The provincial government’s FIT program has proven to be an excellent opportunity for Durham College to demonstrate to our students through a living lab environment how we can produce clean energy at our Whitby campus and then make it available for the grid,” said Lovisa. “The first-hand demonstration of this unique program also reinforces for our students the increasing opportunities for careers in the clean-energy sector.”

To see full details of the announcement, please visit the Government of Ontario’s website.