At Peterborough Green-Up, an environmental not-for-profit in Peterborough, the Energy Efficiency Department runs a program aimed at small commercial buildings designed to reduce their total demand on the grid by retrofitting the old lighting. The program, aptly titled the 'Power Saving Blitz' provides business owners with $1000 worth of lighting upgrades. No catch.
The program has been a hit and has excited the main funders [Peterborough Utilities and the Ontario Power Authority (OPA)] so much that funding for the program has been extended until 2010. Read the fine print on some of the official contracts issued to participants of the program and it becomes clear that the OPA may very well see a massive source of future income.
One section of the contract reads:
"The customer transfers and assigns to the OPA, unconditionally and absolutely, all of its right, title and interest in and to all benefits or entitlements associated with decreased environmental impacts now or in the future, direct or indirect, arising as a result of, relating to or in connection with this Program."
Translation: Any future revenue from carbon credits due to improved efficiency belongs to the OPA. The business owners won't be entitled to any of it.
Sneaky, but effective on the part of the OPA. Don't be surprised to see an increase in the frequency of these forward-looking reservations by governments and other stakeholders.
No comments:
Post a Comment