OREC is a small start-up that is growing quickly, and our website is currently in the process of catching up. Please stay tuned for a shiny new site soon! In the meantime, do keep up with us via Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. We also post documents to Scribd for easy sharing. You might also consider becoming a member and/or joining our  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thanks for your patience and for your interest in OREC! 

The Ottawa Renewable Energy Cooperative provides an opportunity for Ottawa to jointly own and invest in renewable power generation projects in their community, while at the same time earning a reasonable return on this investment.

If you do not have the ability to own your own solar power system, then OREC provides you with an alternative. OREC pools investment from its members, allowing them to invest in renewable energy projects around the City that are larger than those they could individually own.

As well as providing you with a reasonable return for up to 20 years, your OREC investment puts clean local power into onto the grid and creates local jobs and contributes to community development.

For more on how it all works see About OREC and read about Membership to learn more about the benefits of investing with OREC.

Download the OREC Brochure.

Check out our latest e-newsletter for a quick overview of what we've been up to!

Celebrating the Generation of our First kwH of Renewable Energy

OREC is proud to announce that our first two projects are now generating renewable power and feeding it into the Ontario electricity grid. Our first project, on the rooftop of Eileen Tallman Co-operative Homes, was officially connected to the grid on December 14, 2012, and our second project, on the rooftop of Better Living Residential Co-op was connected on December 27, 2012. 

Another system will be installed on the Lafontaine housing co-op and two more on the Presland non-profit housing complex in the coming months. We are also negotiating an investment in a larger commercial solar system that will also start up in 2013.

For more details about these projects and OREC's other project investment plans, please see our Projects page.

Ribbon cutting at our very first project, Eileen Tallman Co-operative Homes. Left to Right: Johann Hamels (OREC treasurer), Guillaume Bouchard (Visio Energy), Roger Peters (board president), and Cynthia Mitchell (manager at Eileen Tallman Co-op).

OREC board members Don Ball and Keith Shackleton, cutting the ribbon at our latest project at Better Living Housing Co-op with Guillaume Bouchard of Visio Energy.

First Share Offering Complete

OREC closed its first preference share offering on August 27, 2012. Over $900,000 was subscribed which is now being invested in already approved FIT solar projects.

We should hear back about our project applications and should have news regarding our next share offering sometime in June. Stay tuned by signing up for our e-newsletter!

OREC Submitted Four Projects under the FIT 2.1 Application Window

The Ontario Power Authority opened the application window for the FIT 2.1 Program for "small" power systems up to 500 kW on December 14, 2012. Full details can be downloaded from the OPA FIT web site. The program includes a "capacity set-aside" and points system that give priority to community owned projects like the ones OREC is focussing on. This is great news for OREC and all renewable energy co-ops across Ontario. OREC submitted four new FIT 2.1 projects before the application window closed on January 18, 2013. More details will be available shortly.

In its review of the FIT program in 2012, the Ministry of Energy signaled its continuing commitment to the FIT program and promised to look at raising targets for renewable power in 2013 when its Long Range Energy Plan is up for review. The FIT Program as been as unparalleled success to date. FIT contracts have already been signed for over 4700 MW, while a further 8000 MW have been submitted under FIT 2.1.