Strathcona Solar Initiatives (SSI), a multiple award winning full-service integrator in Southeastern Ontario, recently installed a combined 550 kilowatt of high-performance solar PV on its office and warehouse locations. The 2702 modules are expected to generate well over 750,000 kilowatt hours of clean energy each year, enough to sequester 522 metric tons of harmful carbon dioxide emissions from the use of non-renewable fuels.
The idea to incorporate solar energy into the companys portfolio has been something company founder and CEO Karl Hollett has wanted to do for a while. When we started Strathcona Solar Initiatives in 2009 we actually thought about installing solar panels to show customers how efficient and reliable the technology works in the field, he says. But the company took off immediately and for the past six years, we have been designing and installing high-yielding solar trackers, rooftop solar applications, as well as ground-mount PV installations for a growing list of customers. But we are just now getting to the installation of our own FIT contracts that have been in the approval and development phase for far too long, a delay issue indicative of the FIT program here in Ontario.
This spring, Strathcona Solar installers set to work and installed a 310 kilowatt array with 1,488 building-integrated PV modules (BIPV) on the companys warehouse. BIPV provides the advantage of being either being directly integrated into the actual architecture of the roof (the modules become the roof in this case), or they can be rack-mounted like traditional PV modules onto the existing roof surface. Both options provide a seamless, homogeneous look and the opportunity to fit more panels on the array since there are hardly any gaps between the solar modules, thereby improving energy generation and profit. Because of their ability to cover more of the surface of the roof compared to traditional solar PV panels which are spread out further apart, the BIPV modules also add a higher protection and insulation factor to the roof which can add up to reduced energy costs and roof repairs.
Over the course of the next 20 years, the Feed-in-Tariff Program of the IESO (Independent Electricity System Operator) will compensate Strathcona Solar for every kilowatt hour the roof array feeds into the power grid. Solar and the FiT turn unused spaces like roofs into profitable power plants that create a stable, long-term revenue stream for our business. The profit that the panels generate with little maintenance effort is an extremely valuable business asset in our current expansion mode, Mr. Hollett says.
The company was recently awarded the 2015 Urban Initiatives Award by the non-profit group SWITCH Ontario for demonstrating that renewable energy is not just the right choice for the environment and a more sustainable future, but also the right choice for creating jobs and spurring economic development, says Tyson Champagne, the Executive Director of SWITCH Ontario. The company has also launched an international holding group, Strathcona Energy Group (SEG) which is focusing on bringing vertically integrated renewable energy solutions to the market from its Belleville location.
Just a few minutes away, 1214 solar PV modules are soaking up the spring sun on the office of Strathcona Solar Initiatives. Also a FiT project, the 240 kilowatt array of high-performance polycrystalline solar panels is owned by Paul Kimmett. Mr. Kimmett is not only the companys master electrician and the owner of Richmond Electrical Services but also the landlord of his employers office building, a double role he clearly seems to enjoy: Working in the solar industry and being part of making solar systems come online, really is an exciting and satisfying job that I love doing every day. Now that I own a solar system myself and get to enjoy its benefits, I feel that I truly understand both roles, the one of being a service provider and a consumer, and that I can maybe relate even better to our customers.
As his customer, Strathcona Solar Initiatives is definitely excited to be operating out of two solarized locations. Its a funny thing, for years we have been advocating solar and provided high-performing systems to home and business owners or municipalities, Mr. Hollett says. As soon as the owners can see their panels generating power and income, we always notice a particular smile on their faces. Now I can feel the same change, there is just no feeling that compares to being a clean energy producer."
http://www.strathconasolar.com/strathcona-solar-solarizes-its-operations-with-550kw-of-clean-energy/
