Ontario invests $200M to install LEDs, solar panels on hundreds of province’s schools
by Cleantech Canada Staff
The funds comes from the Ontario's cap-and-trade auctions, which netted nearly $2 billion last year
TORONTO—Hundreds of Ontario schools are poised to get energy efficiency upgrades paid for by the province’s cap-and-trade market.
Mitzie Hunter, Ontario’s minister of Education, announced the $200 million in funding at Kensington Community School in Toronto Jan. 12.
The elementary school on the west end of downtown will get $358,000 to pay for a pair of hot water boilers, while nearly 600 other schools across the province will receive funding to buy LED lights, solar panel arrays and other energy-saving systems.
“These energy-efficient upgrades will reduce greenhouse gas emissions to create a greener school environment for students and staff, and a healthier future for the province,” Hunter said in a statement.
Aiming to cut down on emissions, Ontario launched its cap-and-trade program at the beginning of 2017.
The carbon market netted the province nearly $2 billion in its first year. While the auctions were restricted to Ontario in 2017, the province will hold joint auctions with California and Quebec starting this year.
