Posts Tagged ‘rooftop’

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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Kingston’s Rooftop Challenge: 1,000 Solar Panel Installations by 2011

Saturday, November 20th, 2010

The solar industry caught the attention of a local non-for-profit group in Kingston, Ontario focused on helping the province transition to a more sustainable and cleaner future.  SWITCH travels throughout the city searching for homes that are suitable for solar panel installations.  Its goal is to help Kingston turn solar by encouraging 1,000 homeowners to erect photovoltaic systems on their unused land and rooftops.  Thus far, SWITCH has successfully helped with over seventy-six solar panel installations.  Company representative, Tyson Champagne, states, “More solar power in the city will ensure a greater percentage of power used will be coming from clean energy sources.”

Solar PV Training Is an Integral Part of the Solar Industry

Suntech announced intentions to build a solar silicon manufacturing plant in Vaughan Ontario.  Together working with Calisolar, “the partnership will accelerate the development of the solar industry in Ontario and meet the growing solar demand across Canada.”  Green jobs are important to Ontario, but installers trained in solar photovoltaic installations are just as vital to the energy sector.  According to the Ontario Power Authority, there were approximately 19,000 microFIT applications through July 2, 2010, 5% of which had been installed and commissioned by the end of August 2010.  This statistic is alarming because without qualified solar installers that have the necessary solar PV training, this backlog could derail the green energy movement.

Ontario Solar Network Promotes Solar Jobs, Solar PV Training, and Solar Energy

Ontario Solar Network (OSN) kicked off its membership campaign with a special event held in Vaughn, Ontario.  Ontario Solar Network began as the alumni group of Ontario Solar Academy’s solar PV training course, and as demand for solar expansion and professional networking grew, OSN membership soon followed.  Jacob Travis, Founder and President of OSN stated the goal of the Network is “to help members grow their solar businesses and careers,” promising that the Network will help “businesses access what they need to know, and who they need to know.

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