Posts Tagged ‘ontario solar academy’

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Carleton U’s New Green Building Sports Rooftop PV Installation

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario has completed construction of its new seven-story Canal Building, which contains a number of environmentally-friendly features, including 10 kW solar installation and a green roof.  The building, the first of a pair that sits near the Hartwell Locks on the Rideau Canal, received five out of a possible five “globes” on the stringent Green Globes measure of a building’s contribution to environmental sustainability.

The university contracted Ottawa-based GRC Architects and Toronto’s Moriyama and Teshima firm to design the Canal Building and its companion, the River Building, which it expects to complete by August.  While the finished building’s green roof will not make its debut until the spring, the small rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system is operational.  Although the university considers the solar installation to be more of a research and training tool, it will contribute a small amount of power to Carleton’s energy supply.  The system will provide an educational model for students enrolled in the school’s environmental engineering courses and other green tech programs.

“This demonstrates Carleton’s commitment to sustainability in a manner that we believe is effective,” says Carleton’s Assistant VP of Facilities Management and Planning, Darryl Boyce.  The Canal Building’s other green attributes include lighting that self-adjusts according to the amount of available natural illumination, as well as a design that allows the facilities to use 80% natural light, overall, and an automated system that controls lighting and temperature.

University Augments Province’s PV Training Courses

The solar panels atop the Canal Building not only symbolize Carleton’s commitment to the environment, but they also reflect Ontario’s movement toward greener sources of energy.  The province is home to North America’s first-ever feed-in tariff (FIT) for renewable energy, which uses the lure of high prices to encourage corporations, farmers, and individual citizens to install renewable energy systems that feed into the provincial grid.  The program has helped to create a vibrant renewable energy economy and offers far-above-market rates for solar, wind, and biomass energy.  The solar economy, in particular, has expanded rapidly under the FIT, as PV projects receive some of the highest prices the program offers, up to 80.2 cents per kW-hour.

While the Canal Building will not participate in the FIT, it will add to the ways educators in the province train students and workers for tomorrow’s energy jobs and augment other educational streams like Ontario Solar Academy’s PV design and installation courses.  Together, Carleton University and the province of Ontario are doing their parts to fortify the region’s solar economy and put Ontarians on the path to sustainability.

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Solar Training Ontario – One Engineer’s Story of Classroom Success

Friday, January 14th, 2011

Back in October of 2010, C-T Wire Prep Inc. (C-T) was right in the middle of three separate 10 megawatt solar projects to provide all the DC wiring connections from the solar panels to the combiner boxes.  These 3 projects were equal in value to the entire yearly business that C-T had invoiced up to that point and involved processing 4 million feet of wire.  With that successful year coming to a close, C-T management decided to have a deeper look into the solar window, so to speak.

Thomas Collins, C-T Wire Prep Engineer, was assigned the task of finding out what was going on in the solar industry because of his previous interest in and implementation of two solar systems in Tanzania and Kenya.  His main goal was to see if there were other solar opportunities available to C-T.  This is his story on how he approached the task and the impact it had on where he works.

Thomas Collins Solar Energy Analysis

I was given the assignment in October of 2010 to find out more about the solar industry and if there might be more opportunities for C-T to become more involved.  I started querying our 3 customers we had found by pure accident through our wire harness manufacturing facility.  I received some basic information from my customers, but a lot of the terminology and my general lack of inside knowledge about why solar had become so popular all of the sudden in Ontario were still mysteries.  So like anyone who has an Internet connection, I started to do some online searching on solar information.

One of my searches “ solar training Ontario” yielded exactly what I needed as I drilled down into the websites and came up with the Ontario Solar Academy.  This was a perfect fit for me as it was located only an hour away.  It offered a 5-day solar training course that seemed to be just what I needed.  I checked out a few other offerings and eventually decided on the Academy.  They were big on NABCEP, which I had learned from my 3 customers was a well-recognized designation that solar professionals such as designers, installers, or integrators covet as a benchmark to achieve.

I submitted my request to management asking to take the course and received approval to start the next schedule solar class in late October.  The course was indeed exactly what I needed to put C-T in the solar arena.  It was well taught by a qualified, NABCEP-certified instructor over the week, and employed great hands-on solar training as well.  I was so impressed I also signed up for the advanced 2-day solar course on Electrical Code.  Again that course was well taught and provided a great foundation for where C-T is proceeding in the solar business.  The course offered anyone to sit for the NABCEP entry level exam as well, so I proceeded to do that and should be NABCEP certified in the near future.

After I finished the two courses, C-T management requested a report on solar opportunities outlining where it might enter into the business further.  I submitted a business plan to form a solar installation division that would seek out microFIT and FIT solar installation opportunities.  The plan was approved, and we then sent another employee to the 5-day course so we would have two employees head up the supervision and implementation of the new division.  With equipment for solar site analysis purchased, as well as fall and arrest training in place, we are now doing solar site analysis for 25 microFIT and FIT opportunities coming in the spring, with more opportunities arising daily.

The other side benefit we discovered is our 3 solar farm customers are now seeking us out for site design and wiring.  It is so much better when we can enter their premises and talk intelligently about their needs.  So far, we have lined up 120 megawatts of wiring needs for a total of 32 million feet of wiring to be processed.

As we are now just past the new year, C-T Wire Prep and its Solar Power Installation division are gearing up for a record-breaking year thanks to that search I did for solar training Ontario and my stumbling upon Ontario Solar Academy.  Thank you Jacob for putting together such a robust solar program, and I wholeheartedly recommend your courses to anyone who has an interest in solar or wants to start a solar business.

Thomas Collins
Engineering Dept.
C-T Wire Prep Inc.

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Another MicroFIT Solar Project Underway in Thunder Bay

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

Solar Logix, Inc. (Solar Logix) has begun construction on an innovative new residential microFIT solar installation in Thunder Bay, Ontario.  The project is the thirty-sixth the company has installed in the city since July of last year, and in that time, Solar Logix has helped more than thirty workers find solar energy careers.

“We’ve grown a lot,” says Jason Richat, Solar Logix’s General Manager.  Based in Thunder Bay, the company is a full-service provider of rooftop and ground-mounted solar energy systems.  Solar Logix’s latest installation is a solar tracking unit shaped like a large sail, with fifty-two photovoltaic (PV) panels that move to follow the sun.  Like all of the company’s installations, it will meet the requirements of the province’s microFIT program.

Ontario’s microFIT allows home-owners and businesses to earn up to 80.2 cents/kW-hour for energy they feed into the province’s power grid from renewable sources such as solar, wind, and biomass.  The program, which covers projects up to 10 kW capacity, and its companion for larger projects, simply called the feed-in tariff (FIT), create job opportunities like solar energy careers and training programs like PV installation classes to help workers make the switch to the new green energy economy.

City Ideal for Solar Energy Installations, PV Class Grads Entering New Careers

Thunder Bay is home to a number of FIT and microFIT projects, including a rooftop system at the Northern Lights Credit Union building on Amber drive, a product of Solar Logix, and another at Dufresne Furniture, which sits across the street from the credit union.  The city is prime real estate for solar installations, as its location in Ontario allows it to take part in the FIT and microFIT and gives it access to PV installation classes and other “green” educational opportunities.  According to the city’s website, it is also “the sunniest city in eastern Canada, with an average of 2,167.7 hours of bright sunshine each year.”

With the help of the Ontario government, Mother Nature, and Solar Logix, Thunder Bay is well-positioned to help both its own and the province’s economies become richer while providing them with clean, renewable energy.

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Owen Sound to Consider Joining Green Economy

Friday, January 7th, 2011

City Council in Owen Sound, Ontario, will soon decide whether the municipality will join the province’s green economy with a pair of ground-mounted solar installations on city-owned property.

Within the next few months, Owen Sound’s Environmental Superintendent, Chris Hughes, will present a plan to Council for two 10 kW installations that the city’s Environmental and Waste Advisory Committee expects to cost $171,000 before taxes.  The projects will generate revenue by participating in the Ontario Power Authority’s (OPA’s) lucrative microFIT program.  The committee reviewed proposals from nine different companies and selected Toronto’s Essex Energy Corporation (Essex Energy) to build photovoltaic systems at the Kiwanis Soccer Complex and at a public works facility in the city.  Essex Energy is a division of Essex Power Corporation (Essex Power) that specializes in renewable energy systems and distributed generation.

Ontario’s microFIT pays above-market rates, locked into twenty-year contracts, to owners of small-scale alternative energy-generating installations who tie their projects into the province’s power grid.  The program and its companion feed-in tariff (FIT) for larger projects create clean power as well as jobs for graduates of photovoltaic training classes.

Projects Would Create Alternative Energy, Jobs for Photovoltaic Class Graduates

“It’s environmentally responsible.  It’s cost-neutral to begin with and, ultimately, it will be a source of revenue for the city in the future,” says Councillor Bill Twaddle, Chairman of the advisory committee.  The projects, if approved, will also create jobs in the region, as the FIT and microFIT require participating developers to acquire up to 60% of materials and labour from within the province.

If City Council agrees to take on the projects, the two photovoltaic installations will represent Owen Sound’s first foray into alternative energy since the province began to offer financial incentives for clean electricity.  “This is kind of a small introduction into the whole thing,” says Councillor Twaddle.  The committee expects the solar installations to pay for themselves within ten years and generate income for the city for the remainder of the microFIT contracts.  Owen Sound’s entry into the solar market brings the region into step with many other municipalities that, with the help of the OPA and graduates of the province’s photovoltaic classes, do their part to take Ontario into a greener future.

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London Church Set to Switch on Solar Cross, Participate in MicroFIT

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

On Wednesday, January 6, Richards Memorial United Church (Richards Memorial), in London, Ontario will begin operating its new microFIT rooftop solar installation.  The project is the city’s first photovoltaic (PV) system on a church building.

“We’ve seen cars stop in the street and (drivers) roll down their windows to look up,” says the church’s pastor, Rev. Janet Fradette.  Her congregation chose to focus on the environment in 2010, and she says the twenty-year contract is a reminder that a commitment to sustainability must be long-term.

“It’s one of those projects that has appeal from whatever viewpoint you look at it,” says the Reverend.  The installation will create renewable energy, draw revenue, and provide work for Ontarians who have chosen to pursue green careers.  Its fifty panels, installed in the shape of a cross, will produce 14 MW-hours of solar power and prevent the release of 11 tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year.

Programs Create Renewable Energy, Careers for Workers with Solar Training

The church secured an $87,000 loan from the Middlesex Presbytery of the United Church of Canada to finance its PV project.  It expects to pay off the loan within eight years and then generate income by participating in Ontario’s microFIT program.  The program creates renewable energy and careers for graduates of “green” educational streams, like solar training courses, by paying high prices for electricity produced by grid-tied solar or wind projects under 10 kW of capacity.  The microFIT and its companion program for larger projects, simply referred to as the feed-in tariff (FIT), both lock prices into twenty-year contracts.

Richards Memorial expects the solar project to generate up to $216,000 over the course of its participation in the microFIT program.  The church hired Direct Current Renewable Energy (Direct Current) to install the cross-shaped solar array.  Direct Current is a Brantford-based company whose management brings to the table more than a decade and a half worth of training and experience in commercial and residential electrical systems.  The company had already installed one system on a church in Hamilton prior to constructing the London project.

The church chose the last day of Epiphany to hold its dedication ceremony for the new solar system.  The date, fittingly, commemorates the time when the Wise Men of the Bible followed the light in the sky in their search for Jesus.

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Research Reveals Animal Kingdom’s Solar Economy

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

According to a recent study, humans are not the only animals to take part in a solar economy of sorts.  While it may not attend solar training courses or pursue green careers, the Oriental hornet harvests the power of the sun for energy.

The recent findings were discovered by Israeli and UK researchers and published in the German journal, Naturwissenschaften.  According to the research, while hornets are usually more active in the cooler hours of the morning, Vespa orientalis, a species found across the Near East and India, performs its hardest work in the afternoon, when the day is hot.  The researchers have identified the reason for this: the insect harvests power from the sun using parts of its anatomy.

The research team, led by entomologist Dr. Marian Plotkin at Tel-Aviv University, tested the theory of the late Professor Jacob S. Ishay that the hornets have some anatomical method of harnessing solar energy.  They discovered structural elements of the insect’s exoskeleton that trap light, rather than reflect it, as well as a pigment in its head and body, called xanthopterin, that, according to Dr. Plotkin, transforms light into electrical energy.  “We assume,” she says, “that some of the energy is transformed in a photo-biochemical process, which aids the hornets with their energy demanding digging activity.”

Hornet Anatomy May One Day Boost Green Careers

The work of Dr. Plotkin and her team may one day lead to advancements in solar technology that could give the PV industry a leg up in the race to replace fossil fuels.  This could prove of particular use in regions like Ontario, which currently has a mandate to close all of its coal-fired power plants within the first half of the decade.  The provincial government’s plan has given birth to a rapidly emerging solar economy that creates, in addition to clean air and renewable power, green careers and support industries like solar training courses.  Thanks in large part to generous government incentives for renewable energy, Ontario’s PV training course graduates continue to help the province become a leader in solar power production.

Dr. Plotkin’s team’s research will help entomologists gain a better understanding of the ways that insects metabolize energy, but in the future, their findings may also give researchers in other disciplines, such as electrical engineering, insight into the ways that humans can more efficiently harness the power of the sun to meet their own considerable daily energy needs.

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Company Awarded for Project That Creates Green Jobs, Clean Energy

Friday, December 31st, 2010

The Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) has awarded its Solar PV Project of the Year Award to Arizona’s First Solar, Inc. (First Solar), for its successful completion of the Canadian industry’s biggest solar energy installation, located in Sarnia, Ontario.

First Solar built the Sarnia installation and owns and operates it on behalf of Canada’s Enbridge, Inc., one of North America’s largest energy providers.  Both companies accepted the award at this year’s CanSIA conference in Toronto early in December, and First Solar’s VP of Business Development, Peter Carrie, was awarded Solar Leader of the Year for his own contribution to the country’s solar energy industry.

First Solar completed a landmark expansion to the Sarnia facility in October that brought its capacity to generate solar power from 20 to 80 MW and officially made it the largest solar installation in the country, and by some estimates, in the world.  First Solar’s renovations directly created green jobs for 800 workers and indirectly created countless others in design, engineering, and supply.  The installation uses 1.3 million thin film solar panels that the companies expect to create about 120,000 MW of electricity and displace more than 39,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, or enough power to meet the needs of about 12,800 households.

Project, Province Benefit from Ontario’s Solar Trained Workers

Ontario benefits from a booming solar energy industry that includes manufacturing plants and training programs for solar installers.  Programs like Ontario Solar Academy’s five-day PV design and installation course, for example, help to train both new and seasoned workers for green jobs in the province’s solar economy.  Ontario currently enjoys the most community-owned energy production in North America, thanks in large part to its feed-in tariff program, which pays lucrative rates to producers of renewable energy who tie their projects into the electrical grid.

Projects like the Sarnia facility show what is possible when governments, communities, and corporations work towards common goals.  “Together with Enbridge,” says First Solar’s Senior VP of Project Development for North America, Frank De Rosa, “we are leading the development of utility-scale solar energy in Canada.”

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A Technological Match Made in Heaven for the Solar Industry

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

AVACOS Solar (AVACOS) has announced its completion of an experimental green energy project in residential Toronto, Ontario that includes a 4.6 kW rooftop PV installation and uses several other environmentally-friendly building techniques.

AVACOS is an Ontario-based designer, developer, and manager of solar PV projects.  The company hopes to receive prestigious LEED Platinum Certification for its newly- completed residential project, which adds high-efficiency R-35 insulation, geothermal heating and cooling, and reclaimed building materials to the list of ways it minimizes its impact on the environment.

The new property, situated at an undisclosed location, was constructed by Toronto’s South Park Design Build.  The property’s rooftop installation is Canada’s first to combine SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.’s (SANYO’s) HIT Double solar modules with DuROCK Alfacing International, Ltd.’s (DuROCK’s) Tio-Coat roofing membrane.

SANYO is a well-known global electronics company with operations in Canada.  Its innovative HIT Double panels absorb solar energy from both sides, giving solar installers a more versatile material capable of 30% more energy output than conventional one-sided modules.  Woodbridge-based DuROCK is a family-owned producer of finishes and coatings.  The company’s Tio-Coat is a urethane coating that, when applied to the rooftop, provides 89% weather resistance and reflects a large percent of the sun’s rays.  This property makes Tio-Coat perfect to combine with SANYO’s arrays, as the back sides of the panels can absorb the reflected sunlight.  Windsor-based Schletter Canada, Inc. contributed its racking systems to the project.

Company, Province Open Doors for Workers with Solar PV Training

Koshi Terakawa, President of SANYO’s Canadian division, was reportedly pleased that AVACOS had successfully opened the door for HIT Double’s entrance into the residential market.  Currently, Ontario offers rich compensation to homeowners who generate renewable energy that they feed into the electrical grid under its microFIT program.  The microFIT and its companion program for larger projects, the FIT, have helped to create a number of employment and training opportunities in the solar PV market.  Solar projects receive some of the highest prices under the FIT, which has spurred rapid growth in the industry.  To keep up with the demand for solar installers, programs like Ontario Solar Academy’s solar PV training courses prepare new and seasoned workers alike for the future of energy generation.

AVACOS plans to employ its winning combination of eco-friendly technologies in its developments Canada-wide.  This will give the country’s solar industry and its PV workers competitive edges in the global race to sustainability.

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Canada’s Premier Solar Training School Launches Free Tuition Promotion

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

ISPQ-accredited Ontario Solar Academy (OSA) recently announced a holiday contest in which one lucky individual will be able to attend OSA’s 5-Day Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Design & Installation Course absolutely free.  Prospective students need only send in a 500-word essay explaining why they should receive the training.  The two runners-up will each receive a 50% discount.

Normally priced at $2,995, OSA’s intensive solar training course equips students with the regulatory and technical expertise needed to safely install PV technology within Ontario’s rapidly expanding green economy.

OSA Director, Jacob Travis, comments, “Times are difficult right now with the recession and holidays.  We receive daily requests from enthusiastic candidates who, because of tight finances, cannot join our course.”  He adds, “Our Early Bird Discount and Price Match Offer have helped many students, but we designed this promotion for those needing additional assistance in securing solar career training.”

Like all OSA students, the contest winner will receive 5 days of intensive solar PV installation and design training from a NABCEP-certified instructor.  And like all OSA graduates, the winner will also receive automatic membership in Ontario Solar Network – a fast-growing non-profit association dedicated to advancing business development for its members in Ontario’s solar PV market.

Billed as a “Free Opportunity to Learn a Green Career,” the promotion applies to the Academy’s next 5-day training, scheduled from January 31 to February 4 in the GTA.  Interested candidates should call 416-900-7191 or email contest@solaracademy.ca for application info.  The application deadline is January 7, 2011.

Those wishing to register for Ontario Solar Academy’s standard 5-day PV courses should visit www.SolarAcademy.ca for more details.  Upcoming dates include Jan 31-Feb 4, Feb 21-Feb 25, and Feb 28-Mar 4.  Those who register 3 weeks in advance automatically receive a $350 discount.

About Ontario Solar Academy:

As Canada’s premier PV training school, ISPQ-accredited Ontario Solar Academy has trained over 225 graduates, using curricula based on NABCEP learning objectives designed to quickly advance expertise in solar design and installation.  Its 5-Day Solar PV Training focuses on what you need to know to succeed in Ontario’s FIT and microFIT program and includes hands-on workshops that prepare participants for NABCEP’s PV Entry Level Exam.

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New Utility Division to Encourage Renewable Energy and Create Jobs

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010

Brant County Power, Inc. (Brant Power), has created a new division called Brant Renewable Energy (Brant Renewable) to help the communities it serves take advantage of the benefits of Ontario’s feed-in tariff (FIT) and microFIT programs.  The new division will create clean air and renewable energy jobs in the towns of Burford, Paris, and St. George, and the City of Brantford.

Brant Power’s new division will bring the utility and the municipalities into the fold of Ontario’s Green Energy Hub, a coalition of communities dedicated to creating strategies to increase their capacity for solar, wind, and other forms of green power generation.

According to the utility’s CEO, Bruce Noble, Brant Renewable will initially focus on photovoltaic (PV) power.  Ontario is well-equipped for solar, as it is home to a number of manufacturers that serve the industry, such as Heliene, Inc. in Sault Saint Marie and Toronto’s Ontario Solar Academy – Canada’s first ISPQ-certified PV training program.

Solar Focus Will Require Trained and Certified PV Workers

According to Ruth Cooper, who consults for the new division, “Brant Renewable Energy will educate, advocate, and facilitate power from renewable sources.”  One thing Brant Renewable will “facilitate” is county citizens’ participation in the FIT, which pays high prices to producers of renewable energy who tie into the power grid, and the microFIT, which offers the same for projects of 10 kW and less.  The programs contain domestic content requirements that stipulate what percentage of labour and materials a project owner must source from within the province in order to be eligible.  These requirements add to the power of the FIT and microFIT by creating jobs in manufacturing and new career opportunities for graduates of solar PV and other renewable energy training and certification programs.  Brant Renewable will require workers in both of these sectors in order to meet its green goals.

“Changing ourselves to a green culture should allow us to be more healthy,” says Noble, who adds, “By driving conservation, it allows people to reduce costs.”  Together, Brant Renewables, the Green Energy Hub, and the FIT and microFIT programs will move the province into the future of energy production by removing pollution from the air and putting money into Ontarians’ pockets.

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