Loblaw says its $10-million, 7.5-megawatt roof solar project - expected to be completed in 2026 - at its distribution centre in East Gwillimbury, Ont., will be the country's largest.Supplied/ Loblaw Cos.
Ltd. Large-scale rooftop solar tasks have yet to get widespread traction with Canadian designers.
Financing can be complicated and it can require time for designers to get returns on their financial investments, however brand-new solar jobs are still being announced, says Victoria Papp, senior director of method and innovation at BOMA Canada, a group representing Canadian structure owners and managers.
" Solar uptake in business property is still far from being a prevalent practice throughout the industry, however it's definitely increasing," Ms. Papp says. "It can be challenging to retrofit buildings that were never ever designed with photovoltaic panels in mind."
This month, the Canadian Renewable resource Association stated it's tracked more than $31-billion in investment in sustainable energy - such as solar and wind power sources - throughout the nation. A recently launched report also found Canada's solar, wind and energy storage sectors have grown by 46 percent over the previous 5 years, with 10,000 megawatts of brand-new capability expected to be linked by 2030.
As a comparison, nearly 6,500 megawatts of solar power - enough to power as lots of as two-million homes - was generated in Canada in 2022, according to the federal government.
Scaling solar throughout Canada
While nationwide financial investment figures highlight solar's growing role in Canada's energy mix, some business are taking the lead in scaling up projects of their own.
In late July, Loblaw Cos. Ltd. announced it's developing what it says will be Canada's largest roof solar system installation at its brand-new distribution centre in East Gwillimbury, Ont., north of Toronto.
The $10-million, 7.5-megawatt project, expected to be finished in 2026, will cover the structure's roof with nearly 435,000 square feet of solar panels - about the size of seven football fields. It's expected to create 8.5-million kilowatt-hours a year, about a quarter of the requirements of Loblaw's automated circulation centre.
" The structure itself is very energy-intensive due to the automation and refrigeration systems inside," states Tom Marson, Loblaw's vice-president of constructing innovation and energy. "The solar panel system will assist us offset energy use in the building."
Great Circle Solar Management Corp. will be the builder, owner and operator of the job and offer the power to Loblaw under a long-term arrangement. The task is the largest of nearly 60 roof solar initiatives in which the 2 business have partnered in the previous ten years.
" Power from the photovoltaic panel system on the roofing system is fed directly into the electrical rooms of the facility and utilized to directly power the website's operations in East Gwillimbury," says Clarke Herring, Great Circle Solar's CEO.
Meeting business climate targets
Commercial circulation centres are not the only kinds of residential or commercial properties installing large-scale solar jobs. In Waterloo, Ont., Conestoga College established a 1.3-megawatt solar photovoltaic system at its Kitchener-Doon campus. The system, which went reside in 2023, produces about 1.6-million kwh of eco-friendly, clean energy a year, enough to power at least 40,000 homes.
The system, which spreads more than 3,000 photovoltaic panels over the roofs of several buildings, assists Conestoga satisfy 15 percent of its yearly electrical energy requirements and offset peak demand from the traditional grid by 57 per cent.
" We're dedicated at Conestoga to supporting Canada's tidy development and climate-change goals for a more sustainable future," says Tim Schill, the college's vice-president of facilities and capital advancement. "This job is a significant advance in helping in reducing [greenhouse gas] emissions and promoting sustainable stewardship of our environment and resources."
Ontario's Conestoga College has actually established a 1.3-megawatt solar photovoltaic system at its Kitchener-Doon campus that creates about 1.6-million kilowatt hours of eco-friendly, clean energy a year.Supplied/ Conestoga College
Loblaw states among the factors for setting up photovoltaic panels at its distribution centre is to assist meet the business's net-zero emissions decrease targets.
" We're aiming to achieve net absolutely no for our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2040," Mr. Marson states. Scope 1 emissions are produced directly from sources owned or controlled by a company, while Scope 2 emissions account for those produced from the generation of bought electrical energy that's taken in by the company or organization.
" Procuring and consuming sustainable energy on residential or commercial properties where high quantities of energy is taken in is an important action for us," Mr. Marson states, adding it's especially essential for Loblaw, given that the business communicates with consumers daily.
" We run countless shops all throughout the nation, which means we are deeply woven into the fabric of the neighborhoods we serve," he says. "Millions of everyday consumers and our 220,000 coworkers and employees anticipate us to lead."
According to Mr. Marson, Loblaw originally set carbon reduction targets for its business stores in 2016, and it satisfied those years ahead of schedule. "We reset our standard in 2020, and added franchise stores and Shoppers Drug Mart locations. Since then, we have actually minimized our carbon footprint 16 per cent and continue to make substantial progress."
Finding the ideal financing
Mr. Schill states developing small and medium-sized solar tasks, such as Conestoga's, can be difficult since of problems protecting funding, along with shifting policies and incentive programs.
" Until just recently, it was simpler to get favourable government-backed funding if you had a $100-million task," he states. The move by Prime Minister Mark Carney to ditch the out of favor federal carbon tax was a problem due to the fact that the tax had actually made utilizing natural gas more costly and solar power more appealing, he adds.
Mr. Schill is motivated by recent moves such as the brand-new $100-million partnership in between the Canada Infrastructure Bank and Scotiabank, which aims to assist owners retrofit small and mid-sized business buildings.
Ali Hoss, head of sustainability and ESG at Colliers Canada, says the country can gain from moves in the United States to stop solar-power incentives.
" Investors in the U.S. must now price-in high political threat," he says. "Canada, by contrast, has broad, multi-party assistance for sustainability. This predictability is a critical advantage for attracting the long-lasting, patient capital required genuine estate and facilities projects like solar."
Great Circle Solar's Mr. Herring agrees. "Going solar provides a crucial long-lasting fiscal hedge against unsure future electrical power expenses."
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