SkyPower proposes four commercial solar projects in Sudbury
Available land close to power grid connections selling points for solar company eyeing Sudbury
Another commercial solar electricity producer is eyeing the sunshine in Sudbury.
A Toronto-based company called SkyPower is hoping to install four large solar farms — if it can land government contracts for the electricity.
It has either bought or plans to lease land in four rural locations in Chelmsford and Valley East with the hope of one day installing solar panels that would feed into Ontario's power grid (see maps with locations below).
Each one of the projects would be close to the size of a solar farm another company is already operating in Capreol, said Charmaine Thompson, vice-president of Ontario projects for SkyPower.
The company wants to operate in Sudbury because there is available land with power lines close by — and because of the northern Ontario climate, she said.
"Cooler temperatures are better for the panels. Sunlight comes in the winter and the summer."
Awaiting contracts
There's no guarantee yet that the SkyPower projects proposed for Sudbury will go ahead. The province changed the rules last year for how it awards contracts for large green energy projects.
It's now a competetive process — aimed at making it cheaper per kilowatt hour.
"That's the expectation, that by introducing the competition element, that we will have lower prices for these larger scale projects," said Shawn Cronkwright, the director of renewables procurement with the Independent Electricity System Operator.
The decision on whether SkyPower wins contracts for any, or all, of the solar farms it has proposed for Sudbury is expected by the end of the year.
Any company that wins a new contract under the new green energy rules will have three years to build the project and start operating.
SkyPower already has solar farms operating on other Ontario cities including Thunder Bay and Napanee.
The company is holding a public meeting in Valley East on June 11 to share more information with residents about its plans in Sudbury. The meeting will be held at the Valley East Library & Citizens Service Centre, 4100 Elmview Drive.