Commercial Properties still Turn To Rooftop Solar
Loblaw says its $10-million, 7.5-megawatt rooftop solar project - anticipated to be completed in 2026 - at its circulation centre in East Gwillimbury, Ont., will be the nation's largest.Supplied/ Loblaw Cos.
Ltd. Large-scale roof solar jobs have yet to get prevalent traction with Canadian developers.
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Financing can be complex and it can require time for developers to gain returns on their investments, however new solar projects are still being revealed, states Victoria Papp, senior director of technique and innovation at BOMA Canada, a group representing Canadian building owners and supervisors.
" Solar uptake in business property is still far from being a widespread practice across the market, however it's certainly increasing," Ms. Papp states. "It can be challenging to retrofit structures that were never ever designed with photovoltaic panels in mind."
This month, the Canadian Renewable Energy Association said it's tracked more than $31-billion in financial investment in renewable resource - such as solar and wind power sources - throughout the country. A just recently released report also found Canada's solar, wind and energy storage sectors have grown by 46 per cent over the previous five years, with 10,000 megawatts of new capability expected to be connected by 2030.
As a contrast, almost 6,500 megawatts of solar energy - 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 national investment figures highlight solar's growing role in Canada's energy mix, some companies are taking the lead in scaling up jobs of their own.
In late July, Loblaw Cos. Ltd. revealed it's developing what it says will be Canada's largest rooftop solar system setup at its brand-new distribution centre in East Gwillimbury, Ont., north of Toronto.
The $10-million, 7.5-megawatt project, anticipated to be finished in 2026, will cover the structure's roofing with almost 435,000 square feet of photovoltaic 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 automatic circulation centre.
" The structure itself is very energy-intensive due to the automation and refrigeration systems within," states Tom Marson, Loblaw's vice-president of building technology and energy. "The photovoltaic panel system will help us balance out energy use in the structure."
Great Circle Solar Management Corp. will be the contractor, owner and operator of the project and sell the power to Loblaw under a long-term agreement. The job is the biggest of almost 60 rooftop solar efforts in which the 2 business have actually partnered in the past ten years.
" Power from the solar panel system on the roofing system is fed straight into the electrical spaces of the facility and utilized to straight power the website's operations in East Gwillimbury," states Clarke Herring, Great Circle Solar's CEO.
Meeting corporate climate targets
Commercial circulation centres are not the only kinds of residential or commercial properties installing massive solar projects. In Waterloo, Ont., Conestoga College set up a 1.3-megawatt solar photovoltaic system at its Kitchener-Doon campus. The system, which went live in 2023, generates about 1.6-million kwh of renewable, clean energy a year, enough to power a minimum of 40,000 homes.
The system, which spreads out more than 3,000 solar panels over the roofings of several structures, assists Conestoga meet 15 per cent of its annual electrical energy requirements and balance out peak demand from the standard grid by 57 per cent.
" We're devoted at Conestoga to supporting Canada's clean growth and climate-change objectives for a more sustainable future," states Tim Schill, the college's vice-president of facilities and capital development. "This task is a considerable step forward in assisting decrease [greenhouse gas] emissions and promoting sustainable stewardship of our environment and resources."
Ontario's Conestoga College has established a 1.3-megawatt solar photovoltaic system at its Kitchener-Doon school that creates about 1.6-million kilowatt hours of eco-friendly, clean energy a year.Supplied/ Conestoga College
Loblaw says one of the factors for setting up solar panels at its distribution centre is to assist satisfy the company's net-zero emissions reduction targets.
" We're aiming to accomplish net no for our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2040," Mr. Marson states. Scope 1 emissions are produced straight from owned or controlled by a company, while Scope 2 emissions represent those produced from the generation of acquired electrical power that's taken in by the business or company.
" Procuring and consuming renewable resource on residential or commercial properties where high amounts of energy is taken in is a critical action for us," Mr. Marson says, adding it's particularly crucial for Loblaw, since the business connects with consumers daily.
" We operate thousands of shops all across the nation, which implies we are deeply woven into the material of the communities we serve," he states. "Countless everyday consumers and our 220,000 coworkers and staff members anticipate us to lead."
According to Mr. Marson, Loblaw originally set carbon decrease targets for its corporate stores in 2016, and it fulfilled those years ahead of schedule. "We reset our baseline in 2020, and included franchise shops and Shoppers Drug Mart locations. Since then, we have actually lowered our carbon footprint 16 percent and continue to make considerable development."
Finding the best funding
Mr. Schill states developing small and medium-sized solar jobs, such as Conestoga's, can be difficult due to the fact that of troubles protecting financing, as well as shifting guidelines and reward programs.
" Until just recently, it was simpler to get beneficial government-backed financing if you had a $100-million job," he states. The move by Prime Minister Mark Carney to ditch the unpopular federal carbon tax was an obstacle because the tax had actually made using natural gas more pricey and solar energy more attractive, he includes.
Mr. Schill is motivated by current moves such as the new $100-million partnership in between the Canada Infrastructure Bank and Scotiabank, which intends to help owners retrofit small and mid-sized industrial buildings.
Ali Hoss, head of sustainability and ESG at Colliers Canada, states the nation can benefit from relocations in the United States to cease solar-power rewards.
" Investors in the U.S. need to now price-in high political danger," he states. "Canada, by contrast, has broad, multi-party assistance for sustainability. This predictability is a crucial advantage for attracting the long-term, patient capital required for genuine estate and infrastructure projects like solar."
Great Circle Solar's Mr. Herring agrees. "Going solar provides an essential long-term fiscal hedge versus unsure future electrical energy expenses."
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