Quebec’s first solar plants come online

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Canada-based power company Hydro-Quebec has announced the completion of two solar parks with a combined capacity of 10 MW.

Construction on the two facilities, which are Quebec's first operational PV plants, had started in the summer of 2019.

The plants have capacities of 7.5 MW and 2.5 MW and are planned to help Hydro-Quebec determine whether solar energy is well suited to Quebec's climate, to its generation fleet, and to its transmission network. The power provider will also examine the relevance of this energy source in this predominantly hydroelectric territory and compare the performance of different technologies.

The 2.5 MW plant is located in Varennes, an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, and comprises 4,620 monofacial and bifacial panels, installed both on fixed structures and single-axis trackers.

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The 7.5 MW facility is located in La Prairie, an off-island suburb of Montreal, and is equipped with 25,740 bifacial panels – including 4,316 products manufactured in Quebec – that are installed on fixed structures.

“We are pleased that Quebec is making its entry into solar energy production by taking advantage of local expertise, both for the construction of power plants, with the Borea, and for the acquisition of part panels, with the company Stace,” said Jonatan Julien, Quebec's minister of energy and natural resources.

Under the 2030 energy policy, Quebec’s government is targeting a 40% reduction in the amount of petroleum products consumed; to eliminate the use of thermal coal; to increase, by 25%, the share of renewable energy in total energy production; and to increase bioenergy production by 50%.

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