On March 12th, 2025, OREC President John Kirkwood and Director Dick Bakker presented to CACOR Live, a weekly forum engaging both the public and policymakers on pressing global and Canadian issues. CACOR is a non-governmental organization dedicated to intelligent debate and action on global issues.
Our presentation (preview below) provided a broad summary of who OREC is, what we do, the projects we've developed, and our challenges and opportunities ahead. The session ended with Dick and John answering participants' questions about the resale value of homes with existing MicroFIT contracts, how Virtual Power Plants (VPP) work, and the value of storage - particularly batteries - to mitigate the risk of blackouts and reduce the cost of Ontario electricity.
Who's installed a heat pump near me that I can learn from?
We also introduced OREx community eXchange, an online forum which enables members to share their experiences with heat pumps, EVs, solar panels, and more. Anyone can easily search our member database to find a resource they're investigating, and learn about the experience of installing and using it. Members have the benefit that they can start a conversation with that knowledgeable and unbiased member to learn more so that they can make an informed decision about the green energy resource they're interested in. (See What is OREx?)
Besides enabling community citizens to share and learn from each other, OREx will also provide an inventory of members' solar and other energy resources that could be leveraged to generate revenue for members after their MicroFIT contracts start expiring in 2029. At the moment, the Ontario government has no plan to continue paying its citizens for their renewable energy generation. OREC is actively campaigning at all levels of government to bring such valuable solutions – already established in other jurisdictions – to Ontario.
Watch our Newsletter for future events!
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