The Monieson Centre, in conjunction with Queen’s Office of the Vice Principal (Research) and the Office of Research Services, will be bringing together academics, business leaders and members of the community for mutual benefit and to promote innovation. Neutopia has been invited to be a panelist in the “Social Leadership in Research and Business” theme, which will focus on how social leadership can play a significant role in personal and community development. This seminar looks at innovative practices and technologies that can enhance the social and economic fabric of communities.
Neutopia has created a revolutionary Social Profit business model that harnesses underutilized resources in a community and converts them into community aid, benefiting the social and economic infrastructure while creating clean energy and long-term synergistic business opportunities throughout the neighbouring regions.
The Monieson Centre, Queen’s School of Business brings leading academic research to business, government, and community audiences to create value through knowledge. The Centre focuses on research related to the knowledge economy – how to harness the expertise of individuals, organizations and communities to create knowledge capital. Neutopia will be explaining the significance of an innovative Social Profit business model in streamlining renewable energy development projects to stimulate economic and social development.
Panelists:
Dr. Tina Dacin, Queen’s School of Business
Dr. Tim Bryant, Dept Mech/Matl Eng, Queen’s University
Dr. Malcolm Peat, International Centre for the Advancement of Community Based Rehabilitation
Mr. Robert Laporte, President and CEO, Neutopia ecoSolutions Inc.
Presentation Slides:
http://business.queensu.ca/centres/monieson/events/Presentations/Aprl%20Social%20leadership/LAPORTE.pdf
Neutopia Robert Laporte Biographical Info:
http://business.queensu.ca/centres/monieson/events/Monieson%20Idea%20bios/Apr%20-%20Social%20Leadership/LAPORTE.pdf
Neutopia ecoSOLUTIONS Inc., the world’s first Social Benefit Green Energy Company, has been recruited by the Municipality of Greenstone, Ontario. Neutopia’s role is to co-author a business attraction report with Greenstone’s Economic Development Office to present to Cliffs Natural Resources, a billion dollar mining company seeking a development site to build a ferrochrome processing facility for a chromite project in the James Bay Lowlands of northern Ontario.
Greenstone, one of the largest municipalities in Ontario, is known as the ‘Gateway to the Ring of Fire’ as it is situated south of the mining site and the ore and mining materials will be shipped right through Greenstone to reach world markets. Several cities are currently being investigated by Cliffs to locate their processing facility, with electricity availability being one of the key factors. Neutopia was asked if we could scale up our proposed ecoPARK to accommodate the energy needs of Cliffs and we immediately made this project our highest priority.
The report highlighted the potential benefits to the mining company if they would build their facility near a Neutopia ecoPARK. The report was presented to Cliffs on January 5, 2011, and resulted in a request by Cliffs to meet with Neutopia ASAP in Greenstone, successfully putting Greenstone on Cliff’s short list of potential development sites.
Neutopia ecoSOLUTIONS Inc. signed a game-changing partnership agreement to develop a 10MW solar farm in Ontario, Canada. The unique Neutopia Green Community Partnership Program™ enables landowners to become full partners in projects rather than lease their land to other developers for meager royalty payments. This Agreement is the first of its kind and may set a new standard in Community Development projects as Neutopia’s Social Benefit business model re-directs revenues right back into the community’s that host their projects.
We didn’t like the way energy and infrastructure projects were being developed… so we created a new one.
Why would a landowner ever want to lease their land when they can now form a partnership with Neutopia? We are doing our best to attract investors for projects under $5 million however for now our focus has to be on the larger projects where financing is readily available.
Our Social Benefit business model has the potential to change the way solar and wind projects are developed all over the world, for the ultimate benefit of each community that embraces these technologies.
This project, if approved by the OPA Feed-in-tariff program, is estimated to generate no less than 12,500,000kWh per year and earn more than $110 million over the 20 year Power Purchase Agreement.
While Neutopia will incorporate a solar farm at each ecoPARK being planned, some solar farms will be stand-alone projects such as Project Solar Fox:
Phase I of the project is being planned to include 500kW on each of three properties for a total of 1.5MW, followed by an expansion for phase II to complete a total of 10MW. Neutopia has exclusive rights to provide the solar farm equipment and technologies including panels, modules and racking systems.
The company issued a Request for Expressions of Interest to every solar company in Ontario and evaluated all interested parties and scored them based on price, performance history, industry reputation, and their corporate social responsibility plans. As Neutopia’s first solar project, the $40 million Cap Ex will generate significant revenue for the company and help secure their position in the province as a key player in the solar market.
Details:
- Location: Ontario, Canada
- More than 200 acres over 5 properties
- Land Classification 4 & 5
- Estimated 25 MW potential
- Phase I development = 3 properties each 500 kW
- Phase II development = up to 10MW total
- preFIT Consultation completed with Hydro One, latest report issued 09/23/11
- Estimated Revenue from electricity sales over 20 Year PPA: $110,750,000*
- Estimated Yearly Revenue: $5,537,500*
*estimates are for fixed systems; use of thin film and/or trackers will generate greater revenue
