Loblaw says its $10-million, 7.5-megawatt rooftop solar task - expected to be finished in 2026 - at its circulation centre in East Gwillimbury, Ont., will be the nation's largest.Supplied/ Loblaw Cos.

Ltd. Large-scale roof solar tasks have yet to gain extensive traction with Canadian developers.

Financing can be complicated and it can require time for developers to gain returns on their investments, but new solar projects are still being announced, says Victoria Papp, senior director of strategy and innovation at BOMA Canada, a group representing Canadian structure owners and managers.

" Solar uptake in commercial realty is still far from being an extensive practice across the industry, however it's absolutely increasing," Ms. Papp states. "It can be challenging to retrofit structures that were never ever designed with solar panels in mind."

This month, the Canadian Renewable Energy Association stated it's tracked more than $31-billion in financial investment in renewable resource - such as solar and wind power sources - across the country. A recently launched report likewise found Canada's solar, wind and energy storage sectors have actually grown by 46 percent over the previous 5 years, with 10,000 megawatts of brand-new capacity anticipated to be connected by 2030.

As a contrast, almost 6,500 megawatts of solar power - enough to power as lots of as two-million homes - was produced in Canada in 2022, according to the federal government.

Scaling solar throughout Canada

While national 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 states will be Canada's biggest roof planetary system installation at its brand-new circulation centre in East Gwillimbury, Ont., north of Toronto.

The $10-million, 7.5-megawatt task, 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 seven football fields. It's expected to produce 8.5-million kilowatt-hours a year, about a quarter of the requirements of Loblaw's automated circulation centre.

" The structure itself is extremely energy-intensive due to the automation and refrigeration systems within," states Tom Marson, Loblaw's vice-president of constructing innovation and energy. "The photovoltaic panel system will assist us balance out energy use in the structure."

Great Circle Solar Management Corp. will be the home builder, owner and operator of the task and offer the power to Loblaw under a long-lasting contract. The job is the biggest of nearly 60 rooftop solar efforts in which the two business have actually partnered in the past ten years.

" Power from the photovoltaic panel system on the roof is fed straight into the electrical rooms of the facility and utilized to directly power the website's operations in East Gwillimbury," states Clarke Herring, Great Circle Solar's CEO.

Meeting corporate climate targets

Commercial distribution centres are not the only kinds of residential or commercial properties setting up massive solar jobs. In Waterloo, Ont., Conestoga College set up a 1.3-megawatt solar photovoltaic system at its Kitchener-Doon school. The system, which went live in 2023, generates about 1.6-million kwh of sustainable, tidy energy a year, enough to power at least 40,000 homes.

The system, which spreads out more than 3,000 solar panels over the roofings of several structures, assists Conestoga satisfy 15 per cent of its yearly electrical power needs and balance out peak demand from the traditional grid by 57 per cent.

" We're dedicated at Conestoga to supporting Canada's tidy growth and climate-change objectives for a more sustainable future," says Tim Schill, the college's vice-president of centers 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 set up a 1.3-megawatt solar photovoltaic system at its Kitchener-Doon school that produces about 1.6-million kilowatt hours of renewable, tidy energy a year.Supplied/ Conestoga College

Loblaw states one of the reasons for installing solar panels at its distribution centre is to assist meet the business's net-zero emissions reduction targets.

" We're aiming to attain net absolutely no for our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2040," Mr. Marson says. Scope 1 emissions are produced straight from sources owned or controlled by a company, while Scope 2 emissions account for those produced from the generation of purchased electricity that's consumed by the company or organization.

" Procuring and consuming renewable resource on residential or commercial properties where high amounts of energy is consumed is a critical action for us," Mr. Marson states, adding it's particularly important for Loblaw, since the business connects with customers daily.

" We run countless stores all throughout the nation, which implies we are deeply woven into the material of the neighborhoods we serve," he says. "Countless everyday consumers and our 220,000 associates and workers expect us to lead."

According to Mr. Marson, Loblaw initially set carbon reduction targets for its corporate stores in 2016, and it met those years ahead of schedule. "We reset our standard in 2020, and included franchise shops and Shoppers Drug Mart locations. Since then, we have actually decreased our carbon footprint 16 per cent and continue to make substantial development."

Finding the ideal financing

Mr. Schill states developing little and medium-sized solar tasks, such as Conestoga's, can be challenging due to the fact that of difficulties securing funding, in addition to moving policies and incentive programs.

" Until recently, it was much easier to get favourable government-backed financing if you had a $100-million task," he says. The move by Prime Minister Mark Carney to ditch the out of favor federal carbon tax was a setback because the tax had used natural gas more expensive and solar energy more appealing, he adds.

Mr. Schill is encouraged by recent relocations such as the brand-new $100-million collaboration between the Canada Infrastructure Bank and Scotiabank, which aims to assist 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 terminate solar-power rewards.

" Investors in the U.S. should now price-in high political risk," he states. "Canada, by contrast, has broad, multi-party assistance for sustainability. This predictability is a crucial benefit for attracting the long-lasting, patient capital needed genuine estate and infrastructure jobs like solar."

Great Circle Solar's Mr. Herring concurs. "Going solar supplies an essential long-term financial hedge against unpredictable future electrical power costs."

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