Loblaw states its $10-million, 7.5-megawatt roof solar project - expected 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 gain extensive traction with Canadian developers.
Financing can be intricate and it can take time for designers to get returns on their investments, but new solar tasks are still being announced, states Victoria Papp, senior director of strategy and development at BOMA Canada, a group representing Canadian building owners and supervisors.
" Solar uptake in business realty is still far from being a prevalent practice throughout the market, however it's definitely increasing," Ms. Papp says. "It can be challenging to retrofit structures that were never ever created with solar panels in mind."
This month, the Canadian Renewable Energy Association stated it's tracked more than $31-billion in financial investment in sustainable energy - such as solar and wind power sources - across the country. A just recently launched report also found Canada's solar, wind and energy storage sectors have actually grown by 46 per cent over the past five years, with 10,000 megawatts of brand-new capacity anticipated to be connected by 2030.
As a comparison, nearly 6,500 megawatts of solar power - enough to power as many as two-million homes - was created in Canada in 2022, according to the federal government.
Scaling solar throughout Canada
While national financial investment figures highlight solar's growing function 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 new distribution centre in East Gwillimbury, Ont., north of Toronto.
The $10-million, 7.5-megawatt job, expected to be completed in 2026, will cover the structure's roofing with nearly 435,000 square feet of solar panels - about the size of 7 football fields. It's anticipated 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 within," states Tom Marson, Loblaw's vice-president of developing innovation and energy. "The photovoltaic panel system will assist us offset energy usage in the structure."
Great Circle Solar Management Corp. will be the builder, owner and operator of the project and offer the power to Loblaw under a long-lasting contract. The task is the biggest of almost 60 roof solar efforts in which the 2 business have partnered in the past 10 years.
" Power from the solar panel system on the roof is fed straight into the electrical rooms of the center and used to straight power the site's operations in East Gwillimbury," states Clarke Herring, Great Circle Solar's CEO.
Meeting corporate climate targets
Commercial distribution centres are not the only types of residential or commercial properties setting up 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 live in 2023, produces about 1.6-million kwh of renewable, tidy 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 roofing systems of several structures, helps Conestoga satisfy 15 per cent of its annual electrical energy needs and balance out peak need from the traditional grid by 57 percent.
" We're devoted at Conestoga to supporting Canada's tidy development and climate-change goals for a more sustainable future," states Tim Schill, the college's vice-president of facilities and capital development. "This job is a significant step forward in assisting minimize [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 produces about 1.6-million kilowatt hours of renewable, 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 fulfill the business's net-zero emissions reduction targets.
" We're intending to attain net 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 business, while Scope 2 emissions represent those produced from the generation of acquired electrical power that's consumed by the business or company.
" Procuring and consuming sustainable energy on residential or commercial properties where high quantities of energy is consumed is a vital action for us," Mr. Marson states, adding it's particularly essential for Loblaw, since the company engages with consumers daily.
" We run thousands of stores all throughout the country, which implies we are deeply woven into the material of the neighborhoods we serve," he says. "Millions of day-to-day customers and our 220,000 colleagues and employees anticipate us to lead."
According to Mr. Marson, Loblaw initially set carbon decrease targets for its corporate shops in 2016, and it satisfied those years ahead of schedule. "We reset our standard in 2020, and added franchise stores and Shoppers Drug Mart areas. Since then, we have actually decreased our carbon footprint 16 per cent and continue to make substantial progress."
Finding the best financing
Mr. Schill says building small and medium-sized solar tasks, such as Conestoga's, can be difficult because of difficulties protecting funding, as well as moving regulations and reward programs.
" Until recently, it was much easier to get beneficial government-backed funding if you had a $100-million task," he states. The move by Prime Minister Mark Carney to ditch the unpopular federal carbon tax was an obstacle due to the fact that the tax had used natural gas more pricey and solar power more attractive, he adds.
Mr. Schill is motivated by current moves such as the brand-new $100-million partnership between the Canada Infrastructure Bank and Scotiabank, which aims to help owners retrofit little and mid-sized industrial structures.
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. need to now price-in high political risk," he states. "Canada, by contrast, has broad, multi-party support for sustainability. This predictability is a critical benefit for drawing in the long-lasting, patient capital needed for genuine estate and infrastructure tasks like solar."
Great Circle Solar's Mr. Herring agrees. "Going solar offers an important long-term fiscal hedge against unpredictable future electricity expenses."
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