Canadian Solar to build 200 MW module facility in Ontario
Looks like 500 solar module manufacturing jobs are coming to Ontario. According to my story this morning in the Toronto Star:
Solar module maker Canadian Solar Inc. says it is preparing to establish a manufacturing facility in Ontario that will create 500 direct jobs to take advantage of a provincial green-energy program that mandates local content.
The Kitchener-based company made the announced this morning.
Canadian Solar, founded in 2001, said the new facility will be capable of manufacturing 200 megawatts of solar modules a year and will cost about $24 million to build. Site selection has begun and the first phase of operation is expected in 2010.
The company said in a statement that the facility, once completed, will be one of the largest solar panel manufacturing plants in North America. “Our new facility will help expand ‘green’ skilled jobs and investment in Ontario, as well as the rest of Canada,” said Shawn Qu, chairman and chief executive of Canadian Solar.
Canadian Solar also hinted that part of the output from the new facility will go toward supplying itself. It revealed it has submitted “a significant number” of feed-in-tariff (FIT) applications to the Ontario Power Authority, signaling that it plans to become a major developer of solar power projects in the province.
The Green Energy and Green Economy Act and FIT program continue to gain momentum… good to see.
Tags: Canadian Solar
Tyler Hamilton is editor-in-chief of Corporate Knights magazine and a business columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper. In addition to this Clean Break blog, Tyler writes a weekly column of the same name that discusses trends, happenings and innovators in the clean technology and green energy market. This blog is a personal project started in April 2005. It is not an official blog of the newspaper.
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:46 am
When a friend in California bought a PV system from Canadian Solar, he asked why they were called Canadian Solar if they didn’t manufacture panels in Canada, the response: “Because it sounds better then China Solar”.
If they didn’t start making PV in Canada (cell’s still will be made in China), they shouldn’t be allowed to use such a misleading name…
December 3rd, 2009 at 3:00 pm
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December 3rd, 2009 at 4:35 pm
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