Peter Epp, Sudbury Star
It’s one thing for Ontario’s wind turbine owners to be paid extravagantly for the electricity they produce, but it’s quite another for them to be paid not to produce electricity. But that’s what’s happening. As of Wednesday, Ontario has been paying its wind generators not to produce electricity. The government says the deal will actually save money, because the turbine operators will halt production when the province’s electricity system is in surplus.

Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli says turbine operators will be paid reduced rates not to produce electricity, a deal that should save about $200 million a year. It sounds like a Monty Python sketch, but the problem is electricity generated at these volumes can’t be stored. Ontario has sold excess electricity to neighbouring jurisdictions such as New York state.

Sometimes the province has paid Quebec or New York to take its excess electricity. It doesn’t…