Master’s Research Papers

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Electricity Conservation Policy in Ontario

By Rebecca Mallinson, MES 2013

This paper assesses the effectiveness of Ontario’s electricity conservation policy framework according to six criteria developed through examining best practices and successful strategies employed in leading North American jurisdictions. After identifying problem areas and cross-cutting themes, the paper contributes twenty recommendations to the conversation about how to best move forward with electricity conservation policy in Ontario.

 

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Community Energy Planning: State of Practice in Canada

By Bahareh Toghiani Rizi, MES 2012

The purpose of this major paper is to broadly examine the state of practice of community energy planning (CEP) in Canada by exploring its definition, reasons for implementation, and differences between its theory and practice. Its principle objective is to bridge gaps in an area of study in which secondary literature has been sparse and limited in scope, providing insight on successful approaches to climate change mitigation through community energy planning. A comparative analysis is performed through a secondary literature review, multiple document analysis, and four case studies that employ the use of interviews.

 

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Funding Ontario’s Renewable Energy Deployment: the Design of Innovative and Alternative Financing Models

By Tom Du, MES 2012

The primary aim of this research is to analyse and synthesise findings related to i) the prevailing renewable energy (RE) context in Ontario as well as global RE financing trends; ii) financing model design criteria and trade-offs; iii) key supporting policies for RE deployment; iv) alternative RE financing models; and v) an integrated financing model in Ontario, Canada.

 

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Small Scale, Big Impact: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Ontario’s microFIT Program

By Dawn Strifler, MES 2012

This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of the energy production, economic, social, and political impacts of Ontario’s microFIT Program – a feed-in tariff for micro-scale renewable energy projects. In an effort to determine whether the program can be justified from political and sustainability perspectives, the paper examines the government’s goals for the program and determines whether they have been met; investigates the full range of program benefits and detriments, and utilizes sustainability assessment criteria to evaluate whether the program can be considered sustainable; and assesses whether policy acceptance has been achieved among various stakeholder groups.

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Operationalizing Feed-in Tariffs in Ontario: A Solar Photovoltaic Development

By Jay Willmot, MES 2012

This project report details the development of a 200kW AC / 270kW DC rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system on Kinghaven farm in King City, ON. It covers both the regulatory requirements associated with interconnecting with the Ontario electrical grid, and the steps involved in procuring and developing the solar PV system itself. The report finishes with conclusions and reflections about the development process and lessons learned throughout its execution.

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Leaving the Lights on for Community Involvement in Renewable Energy: Devising a Legal Framework for Feed-in Tariffs to Promote Community Investment in Renewables

By Anton Tabuns, MES 2011

This paper examines how a community-based renewable power industry can be established in Ontario. It explores and compares the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) regimes in the three European nations with Ontario’s FIT scheme and suggests how Ontario’s system can be modified to promote greater investment from community-based power developers.

Disclaimer: due to legislative changes/amendments, some of the provisions cited in this MRP may have slightly changed

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Ontario’s Low-Carbon Transition: The Role of a Provincial Cap-and-Trade Program

By Ian Rice, MES 2011

This research paper broadly examined the politics of climate change policy in Ontario before delving into complex design questions around how a cap-and-trade system could be developed in Ontario that would drive the transition to a low-carbon economy.

 

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The Sustainability Case for Community Power: Empowering Communities Through Renewable Energy

By Sarah Martin, MES 2011

Sarah’s master’s research paper, The Sustainability Case for Community Power: Empowering Communities through Renewable Energy, evaluates community models that support renewable energy projects, using a sustainability metric that was developed through her program.

 

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