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Ontario First Nation Solar Installation to Create Jobs for PV Course Graduates

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

Toronto’s SkyPower Limited (SkyPower) has announced plans to build a new 10 MW solar panel installation at Fort William First Nation in Thunder Bay, Ontario.  The project will help to create up to 100 jobs for graduates of the region’s solar panel installation courses and when complete, it will mark the first system of its size built on First Nations land in Canada.

SkyPower finances, develops, owns, and manages solar projects across Ontario.  Its 9 MW First Light I project in Stone Mills debuted in 2009 as Canada’s first-ever utility-scale solar park.  The company helped to create more than 100 jobs in the region during the project’s construction and the facility generates enough solar energy to power up to 10,000 homes.  SkyPower’s latest project in Fort William is currently under construction and will involve approximately 45,000 solar panels installed over about forty hectares (100 acres) of land.  The solar company plans to complete the project by the summer of 2011 and expects it to generate enough solar energy to power 17,000 homes and offset thousands of tonnes, annually, of the greenhouse gases produced by conventional energy sources such as oil or coal.

Region’s Solar Industry Supported by Ontario’s Green Energy Act

Ontario benefits from a robust solar industry that is buoyed by its Green Energy and Green Economy Act (Green Energy Act).  The Act was signed into law in 2009 and gave the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) the tools it required to offer its feed-in tariff (FIT) program.  The FIT helps to create jobs and stimulates the economy by paying green energy producers high prices – up to 80.2 cents per kW-hour – for power they generate using solar, wind, biomass, and hydroelectric installations of varying sizes.  It also gives rise to new educational streams like solar panel installation courses and post-secondary green tech programs.

With its latest project in Fort William, SkyPower continues to contribute green energy solutions to Ontario’s power supply mix while it takes advantage of the favourable business climate created by the FIT.  “This successful partnership demonstrates our commitment to strategic partnerships in renewable energy,” says the company’s President and CEO, Kerry Adler, “and we continue to explore similar opportunities to ensure a brighter future for future generations.”

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SkyPower’s and Fort William First Nation Create Renewable Energy Jobs

Monday, February 21st, 2011

SkyPower Limited (SkyPower), a Toronto-based solar energy company, recently signed an agreement with the Fort Williams First Nation (FWFN) to create a solar park project in Thunder Bay, Ontario.  This particular solar project is special in that it marks the first time this type of large-scale solar energy project has taken place on First Nation Land in Canada.  Covering about 100 acres of Fort William First Nation land in Thunder Bay, Ontario, the park is not notable simply for its size and scope, but it is also expected be a generous source of new renewable energy jobs for qualified individuals with solar PV course training.

“In Ontario, it is essential that we are continuously driving and fostering innovative relationships in the clean energy sector.  We are pleased to be a part of such a unique agreement to develop this solar park,” said Kerry Adler, SkyPower President and CEO.  “Since the founding of Toronto-based SkyPower, we have always sought unique opportunities for collaboration and partnership with First Nation communities.”  He continued, “This successful partnership demonstrates our commitment to strategic partnerships in renewable energy and we continue to explore similar opportunities to ensure a brighter future for future generations.”

About the Solar Energy Park

Construction of this unique solar energy project will begin in early 2011, with completion currently slated for later this summer.  When the solar park becomes operational, it will generate enough clean energy to power 17,000 homes per year for the next twenty years.  Environmentalists will be happy as the project’s Carbon Dioxide Offset is estimated to be 130,000 tonnes over the expected lifetime of the project.

Agreement Increases Demand for Solar Energy Classes / PV Courses

This agreement is also significant as the partnership will result in an increase in renewable energy jobs in Ontario, thus, helping to boost demand for green professionals who have successfully completed PV courses or solar energy classes in the province’s growing renewable energy market.  By enrolling in schools like Ontario Solar Academy, aspiring solar PV installers can receive their full training and certification in as little as five days.



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Not Enough Workers with PV Training and Solar Energy Job Preparation

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Solar energy is more prevalent today than ever before.  Worldwide, investors put more than US$1.66 billion into the solar market in 2010, with the United States, France, Israel, and Canada leading the pack.  Of late, Ontario has ranked particularly well in the photovoltaic (PV) market, encouraged by government incentives, such as the province’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program, which launched in October 2009.  These incentives have all helped the province’s solar market blossom, creating both more green energy and more demand for those with the requisite solar photovoltaic training.

These incentives have also attracted a tremendous amount of investment, both domestically and from abroad, as solar companies scramble to stake their claim in the province’s booming industry.  Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. just signed a multi-million dollar deal for two solar energy projects in Ontario.  Fort William First Nation became the only First Nation to sign onto a major solar project.  Flexitronics signed an agreement to produce solar panels in Ontario.  Toronto-based Celestica Inc. recently snagged a deal to supply solar modules in Ontario.  The list goes on.  In December of 2010, Ontario Energy Minister Brad Duguid announced the creation of 1,700 green energy jobs across the province.

With all the new opportunities that are arising, there are many different green energy jobs that require solar training ad PV knowledge, and these can be broken down into two main groups.  One group consists of solar panel designers and manufacturers, and the other includes solar panel installers and maintenance.  Solar job preparation does require an investment of time and money, but the career path is promising.

Solar Job Preparation

The basics of solar job training include fundamental knowledge of small level systems, as well as electronics and electrical systems.  This knowledge qualifies the student to work with smaller scale solar system deployment.  Classes exist across the province, usually lasting between a few days to several months.  These courses are usually offered in a workshop environment, meaning participants get hands-on experience and exposure.

Benefits of Solar Energy Jobs

Today there are more opportunities than even for someone with solar training to get a job.  People who invest in solar energy panels can save money in the long run on utility bills, so both the customer and the company offering the services, as well as the environment, will benefit.  With every solar energy job completed, there is also the not insignificant knowledge that the carbon footprint and impact on the environment will be reduced.

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Canadian Solar Generates 400 Green Jobs

Monday, February 14th, 2011

Canadian Solar Inc. held a Guelph job fair in early February to help fill the more than 400 green jobs that the company has recently created.  There are already 100 people working in the company’s plant for the current production line, and next week marks the company’s first solar module shipment.  Two more production lines are coming alone soon, prompting the company to hold the job fair.

Milfred Hammerbacher, President of Canadian Solar Solutions, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar Inc. is a picture of enthusiasm for his company’s product.  ”I’ve been in the solar business a long time.  It’s still amazing to me that you can take a panel like this and generate electricity,” he says.  When fully operational, the Guelph plant is capable of producing 220 MW of solar energy per year.

Ontario’s Green Energy Act and FIT Ramp Up Green Jobs

Canadian Solar Inc. initially outsourced production of its solar panels to seven plants in China, but with the arrival of Ontario’s Green Energy Act, the company decided to bring its production capacity closer to home in order to qualify for the province’s domestic content requirements.  While the company’s solar cells are still made in China, the panels are assembled in a Guelph factory that the company purchased in September of 2010.  The Ontario Green Energy Act is also responsible for the feed-in-tariff (FIT) program, which is a pricing structure for the production of renewable energy.  The FIT program has not only brought manufacturers into the province, but it has also attracted investors, thereby expanding green job opportunities and interest in solar classes.

Importance of Solar Classes for Green Job Opportunities

According to sources, Canadian Solar’s job fair was immensely successful.  Prospective employees not only filled a meeting room, but they also queued down the hallway and spilled out into the parking lot.  One of the applicants interviewed is a Cambridge resident who just lost his job at a metal stamping company – stories like his are common.

As older industries like metal stamping and automotive manufacturing continue to face dwindling prospects, it is likely that more citizens across the province will begin exploring green job opportunities like those offered by Canadian Solar.  However, success favors the most prepared, suggesting that those truly interested in qualifying for the green jobs of tomorrow should secure the requisite training in solar design and PV installation.

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Renewable Energy Careers in the Niagara Region

Saturday, February 12th, 2011

In southern Ontario, the Niagara Region has joined the Ontario Clean Technology Alliance (OCTA), an organization with representation in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Waterloo Region, Windsor-Essex, London, Sarnia-Lambton, Chatham-Kent, and Guelph.  In a continuing cross-border exchange of technology learned in solar panel workshops and photovoltaic (PV) certification courses, alliance members were promoting Southern Ontario in Phoenix, Ariz. as a green-energy hub at the Energy, Utility, and Environment Conference EUEC 2011.  “We’re looking at it as a very cost-effective way of getting Niagara’s name out there,” said Alan Teichroeb, VP of Business Planning for the Niagara Economic Development Corp (NEDC).  ”When you’re marketing beyond the borders of your country, it’s particularly important to create alliances and partnerships.”

Municipal economic renewal efforts are part of many initiatives taken by the private sector in the region to encourage clean energy and green economics.  The rooftop at the 20 Bees Winery on Niagara Stone Road will have a different look come this spring when it becomes the new home for a 109-kilowatt solar energy system.  Enfinity, a global renewable energy company, will lease the rooftop space.  “Enfinity approached us about doing it and we’re very excited about it,” said Matt Dixon, Brand Manager for Diamond Estates, owner of the winery.  ”We think this is a great way to get alternative energy,” he said.  ”It benefits us; it benefits the community because everything goes back into the grid.”

PV Certification Course: Road to Entrepreneurship

Many Niagara residents have started attending solar panel workshops and PV certification classes to prepare themselves for renewable energy careers in the province.  After taking PV design and installation training at Ontario Solar Academy, Niagara construction consultant and electrical contractor, Luciano Di Leonardo, started two new companies: SolarHarvest Power Corporation Ltd. and SunHarvest Solar.  Similar examples of solar-powered entrepreneurship exist throughout the province as residents and business owners alike embrace the economic potential of photovoltaic technology.

Niagara’s political and business gurus recently erected signs along the QEW calling Niagara the “Green Energy Capital of Ontario.”  Renewable energy careers will grow alongside grapes in the vineyards of solar panel workshops.  They will be the new wine served at the clean energy table.  It is a sweet and intoxicating prospect.

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New Solar and PV Installation Agreement Benefits Green Ontarians

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

Two solar companies, Unirac, Inc. and Canadian Solar Solutions, Inc. announced recently that they now offer a new joint solar package for their customers.  The two companies now offer the 300 megawatts package, which consists of Canadian Solar Solution’s photovoltaic (PV) panels and Unirac’s solar racking systems, for either commercial or residential use in Canada.  Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar Inc. said that, “the partnership helps assure optimized power production in a rooftop and ground mount environment.”

Both companies are very optimistic about the partnership as well as the future of sustainable energy.  Ontario customers will receive the highest levels of system performance, and they can increase the return on their investment through Ontario’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program, as well as create a clean, sustainable source of energy.

The Future of Solar PV Installation Training and other Green Jobs

In 2009, the Ontario provincial government introduced different incentive and support programs to encourage solar projects, including the feed-in tariff program.  This in turn created more green jobs and increased demand for workers with solar PV installation training.  Enrollment in sola PV schools, like Ontario Solar Academy, has risen considerably in the past year, highlighting this increased interest and the long-term appeal of this rapidly growing industry.  Partnerships, such as that of Canadian Solar Solutions and Unirac, will further boost future interest in solar PV installation training, renewable energy certification, and green jobs.

More on Canadian Solar Solutions and Unirac

Canadian Solar Solutions is a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, Inc. and it provides for solar projects throughout not only Canada, but also the United States, Asia, and Europe.  Its main focus is on providing solar-related materials and equipment for commercial, residential, and solar farm markets in Canada.  Unirac mainly provides PV mounting systems.  In the past it focused on solar energy installations.  Such partnerships have moved Ontario ahead to second place in North American solar photovoltaic (PV) rankings.

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New Deal to Provide Domestic Content for Ontario’s Career Solar Energy Workers

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

New Mexico’s Unirac, Inc. (Unirac) and Kitchener-based Canadian Solar Solutions, Inc. (Canadian Solar Solutions) have recently announced that they will jointly offer a complete solar package to their customers that combines Canadian Solar Solutions’ photovoltaic (PV) panels with Unirac’s racking systems.  The agreement covers 30 MW worth of Canadian Solar Solutions’ systems and will benefit owners of solar projects in Ontario, where in order to receive government green energy incentives, they have to certify that their projects contain materials made in the province.

Ontario’s solar projects received a big boost in 2009 when the provincial government began to offer its feed-in tariff (FIT) program.  The program creates green energy, career options, and demand for new educational streams like PV certification by offering producers of renewable energy from solar, wind, and biomass installations high prices to tie their projects into the grid.  Owners of participating solar projects must certify that their installations are comprised of at least 60% domestic content and use Ontario labourers.  This provision ensures that the money and career opportunities the FIT creates benefit the province directly and over the long term.

Companies Offer Needed Supplies for Project Owners and Certified PV Installers

Canadian Solar Solutions, and its parent company, Canadian Solar, Inc. (Canadian Solar), provide turnkey solar solutions for residential, commercial, and solar farm markets in Canada, the US, Europe, and Asia.  Their participation in the Ontario market enables project owners to certify that their installations meet the FIT’s domestic content requirements.

Unirac is an Albuquerque-based provider of PV mounting systems.  Their previous work included solar energy installations at Universal Studios and Google Campus.  By partnering with Canadian Solar Solutions, Unirac gets a leg up in Ontario’s exclusive market.  “We are excited about working closely with a strong partner like Canadian Solar Solutions to address the rapidly growing Ontario market for solar energy,” says the company’s CEO, Doug May.

Canadian Solar Solutions and Unirac’s new partnership joins a number of solar matches made in Ontario that provide domestic content for projects in the region, as well as for its certified solar energy workers who have helped it to attain the second highest installed PV capacity in North America.

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Joint Green Energy Venture to Create Career Options, Jobs for 2,300 in Ontario

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Toronto’s Celestica, Inc. (Celestica) and San Francisco-based Recurrent Energy have recently agreed to enter into a joint venture to produce components for solar installations in Ontario.  The partnership will support the region’s rapidly-growing green economy by creating up to 2,300 jobs and manufacturing domestically-produced materials for its career solar workers and students of renewable energy classes.

Celestica is a global provider of design and engineering expertise, electronics manufacturing, and supply chain management services with operations across North America, Europe, and Asia.  The company’s previous work in Ontario includes making components for the BlackBerry smartphone.  Recurrent Energy is a subsidiary of Japan’s Sharp Corporation that develops, builds, finances, and operates solar power systems in North America, Europe, and other emerging markets.

Celestica will manufacture Recurrent Energy’s solar panels at its facilities in Toronto.  Recurrent Energy plans to use the modules in nineteen photovoltaic projects for which it has signed contracts with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) to participate in its lucrative feed-in tariff program (FIT).

Photovoltaic Industry Number Two in N. America, on Course to Number One

The FIT pays producers of electricity from solar, wind, and biomass installations above-market rates to tie their projects into the provincial power grid, but it requires participating solar projects to include 60% made-in-Ontario materials and regional labour.  The program creates enormous opportunities for green energy production as well as new career options.  It also opens up new educational streams like photovoltaic system design and installation classes and other courses that train Ontario’s workers and students for today’s energy jobs.

Ontario saw a boom in its solar industry following its institution of the FIT.  This growth culminated in the province ranking second in North America for installed photovoltaic capacity in 2010, and a recent analysis revealed that the region may be on course to surpass California and take first place in the coming year.  In addition to creating green energy and jobs, Recurrent Energy and Celestica’s contributions to this thriving industry will include materials to help the region’s developers and solar class graduates meet the FIT’s domestic content requirements.  The joint venture joins a number of partnerships operating in the province that capitalize on the demand for solar power while they help Ontario make the switch to more environmentally-friendly forms of energy generation.

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New Data Show Global Solar Industry On Course, Venture Capital Up

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Texas-based Mercom Capital Group (Mercom) has released data that show that venture capital investment in the global solar and wind industries rose 18% between 2009 and 2010.  Mercom’s latest Solar Funding and M & A Report shows that despite a number of potential hurdles, the worldwide effort to increase renewable energy production is on course and continues to expand.

Global investors put more than US$1.66 billion into the solar market by the end of last year, with the US, France, Israel, and Canada representing the top four contributors.  While last year’s numbers improved over those of the previous year, they fell short of 2008 figures, which exceeded $3.87 billion.  In Ontario, a combination of venture capital investment and government incentives, in the form of a powerful feed-in tariff (FIT) program, have helped to create a progressive solar market that includes green energy, jobs, photovoltaic training courses, and new manufacturing facilities.

Sunnydale, California’s Calisolar drew the most investment to the Canadian solar market in 2010, totalling US$22.5 million, followed by Toronto-based Morgan Solar, Inc., who brought in US$3.5 million.  While solar venture capital grew over the last year, the overall number of deals has dropped steadily since 2008.  However, funding for large-scale photovoltaic projects rose over the last two quarters of 2010, which saw the industry add twenty-six new deals worth a combined US $4.1 billion.

More Solar Energy, Jobs for the Future, Despite Setbacks

While the trends for solar are mainly encouraging, they do not come without setbacks.  According to the Mercom report, 2010 figures peaked in the first half of the year and this, combined with the drastic fluctuations between the 2008 and 2009 numbers, reveal a level of instability.  “Analysts are predicting this to be a continuing trend,” the report explains, “as the capital-intensive nature of solar is not fitting well with traditional (venture capital) models and exits in the solar sector have been tough for (venture capitalists).”

With Ontario and a number of other regions and countries across the globe offering FIT programs and a worldwide push to reduce humanity’s carbon footprint, the photovoltaic industry will find ways to overcome its growing pains.  In Ontario, this will mean more new projects that will require photovoltaic training programs to turn out more trained solar energy workers to fill the jobs in the years to come.

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Ontario Solar Company Takes Domestic Content to Chinese Market

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

Ottawa, Ontario-based Cyrium Technologies, Inc. (Cyrium) has announced that it has contributed its QDEC line of concentrating solar cells to a 200 kW solar project in China.  Ontario is home to a thriving green energy industry that includes the world’s largest photovoltaic installation and Canada’s first ISPQ-certified solar training institution, Ontario Solar Academy.

The Cyrium team began their green careers at National Research Council facilities in Ottawa before moving into its current headquarters in Kanata, a suburb of the capital.  Last year, the company had an opportunity to apply its technology domestically when it contributed content to solar research conducted by the University of Ottawa’s SUNRISE project.

Cyrium has tried for more than a year to break into the Chinese market.  This latest installation is owned and operated by Qingdao HG Solar Energy Co., Ltd. and uses modules and sun-tracking racking systems produced by China’ Suntrix Co., Ltd. (Suntrix).  The high-concentrating photovoltaic (HCPV) power station uses Cyrium’s triple junction concentrating photovoltaic cells, which have helped break new ground in efficiency.  ”The plant is operating with a system efficiency of 25%,” says Suntrix’s CEO, Guy Rong, “which means this station is not only the highest scale of HCPV in production, but also the highest efficiency for photo-electric conversion in China.”

Company’s Home Province a Leader in Green Energy, Green Career Training

The solar industry in Cyrium’s home province has achieved a lot in the little more than a year since Ontario adopted a feed-in tariff (FIT) program that pays owners of solar, wind, and biomass projects to feed green energy into the power grid.  The program drives up demand for green technology, creating career opportunities and new educational streams like solar certification programs.  It also includes domestic content provisions that require participating parties to certify that up to 60% of the labour and materials they use in their projects originate in Ontario.  The purpose of this provision is to ensure that the money and careers the FIT creates benefit the province.

Groundbreaking green technologies like Cyrium’s CPV cells are in high demand in an industry that continually strives for greater levels of efficiency.  Based in a market fuelled by a powerful FIT program, Cyrium is well-placed to become a world leader in solar cell technology.

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