In mere days, two big announcements for green manufacturing in Toronto and London. This type of massive shift in Ontario’s economy has been a dream for many environmentalists and workers alike, as Ontario positions itself as a leader in the new green economy.
Canasia Power Corp announced Tuesday that they would establish a solar module manufacturing facility in London, Ontario. The facility would initially have a 50MW annual capacity, employing roughly 100 people, but as capacity grows to 200MW, it will employ over 500 people.
SunEdison and Samco Machinery Ltd, a struggling Scarborough auto parts manufacturer, also announced yesterday that they would be retooling an Ontario factory to produce equipment for solar power projects in Ontario. Steps to retool the plant have already begun and the racking systems it will produce are expected to roll off the line as early as September 2010.
Samco has lost 37 % of their workforce, mainly due to a 63 % decline in automotive sales. The new contract is expected to increase their workforce by 25%, with 100 direct and indirect jobs expected as a result of this investment.
Samco Machinery credits this surge in demand to Ontario’s new feed-in tariff (FIT), guaranteed rate paid for renewable power. The FIT program has a local content requirement that requires renewable energy project developers to use equipment made in Ontario.
SunEdison has already made several announcements as a result of projects to be developed under the FIT program. In April, SunEdison announced it would be build 14 rooftop solar projects totaling 3MW in the Toronto area for the development and property management firm Remington Group. In June, SunEdison announced they would begin construction on eight systems totaling 2.1 MW hosted at facilities owned or operated by LaSalle Investment Management.
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