Sun shines on the North with solar investment.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: NEWS - SunEdison and SkyPower is partnering to build a solar plant

Northern Ontario winters can be excruciatingly cold, but the season is also known for its crystal clear blue skies.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Two solar energy developers are counting on those thousands of hours of sunshine to build projects in Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie.

At least two solar parks will be located in the Thunder Bay area with more announcements expected across the North in the coming months.

The municipality of Oliver-Paipoonge, a rural municipality of 5,700 outside Thunder Bay has been in year-long discussions with Toronto's SkyPower Corporation and a U.S. partner to build a second solar development for the area.

Mayor Lucy Kloosterhuis says company officials were waiting on Ontario Hydro to grant the green light for the project.

Kloosterhuis says in her conversations with Skypower officials, "all their ducks are in a row, all their reports, plans and everything they've done has been forwarded to Ontario Hydro for approval and they're still waiting for a final approval to allow them to contribute to the system."

She says the delay is being blamed on a large number of similar applications being reviewed by Ontario Hydro.

"It's just a waiting game," says Kloosterhuis.

This past summer, SkyPower announced plans to build their first development on the outskirts of the city.

SunEdison, a Beltsville, Maryland solar energy provider, is partnering with SkyPower to build a 10-megawatt solar plant near Thunder Bay airport.

The two joint venture partners have signed a 20-year power purchase agreement under the Ontario Power Authority's Standard Offer Program to build five solar projects across Ontario for a combined 50 megawatts.

The green energy developers will build on a 100-acre property southwest of the airport for their proposed Bowlker solar park.

The joint venture development, which will use "high efficiency thin film" solar panels, will tie into Thunder Bay Hydro's transmission line and provide three per cent of the city's energy needs. Some minor upgrades will be needed to the utility's power lines along Broadway Avenue to accommodate the development.

No start date for construction was provided, but the company is planning a job fair to start looking for 50 electricians and construction tradespeople. Two full-time jobs will be created when the park is operational in 2008.

Skypower's director of solar projects, Michelle Chislett, refused to confirm if Oliver Paipoonge is the host community for their second solar project, but...