Strathcona Solar Initiative, a full service integrator in Southeastern Ontario, was recently honored with the 2015 Urban Initiatives Award by the non-profit group SWITCH Ontario. Presented at the organization’s annual Green Profit Conference in Kingston, the award recognizes members who excel at enabling urban communities to commit to their renewable energy goals and integrate sustainable energy technologies into the region.
SWITCH Ontario Executive Director Tyson Champagne presents the Urban Initiatives Award to Strathcona Solar Initiatives’ Andrew Jones at the 2015
Green Profit Conference in Kingston, Ontario. Photo Courtesy of SWITCHOntario.
Since its founding in 2009, Strathcona Solar Initiatives has designed, engineered and installed thousands of kilowatts of high-yielding solar trackers, rooftop solar applications, as well as ground-mount PV installations throughout Ontario. With its focus as a full-service provider, the company has helped hundreds of home and business owners and municipalities by conducting site evaluations regarding the feasibility of solar energy, completed the application process for FiT and micro-FiT projects, and continues to monitor and maintain the panels after installation for optimal energy production.
“Strathcona Solar Initiatives is a SWITCH Member that has shown that renewable energy is not just the right choice for the environment and a more sustainable future, but also the right choice for creating jobs and spurring economic development in Southeastern Ontario,” said SWITCH Executive Director Tyson Champagne. “The company is a perfect match for the criteria of the Urban Initiatives Award and SWITCH looks forward to continuing to support the company as it grows.”
The fast growing demand for reliable and high-yielding photovoltaic installations and energy systems has prompted the company to launch an international holding group last fall. As a highly diversified enterprise, the Strathcona Energy Group specializes in vertically integrated solar energy products and services, ranging from manufacturing and assembly, to sales and installation, and financing and after-sales services across North America.
In October 2014, Strathcona Solar Initiatives also opened a new 60,000 square feet manufacturing plant in Napanee which employs around 50 workers producing a ground-breaking new type of solar module for national export as well as global distribution. Recently the company also acquired the 300,000 square foot Nortel building in Belleville which will enable to group to expand its state-of-the-art manufacturing capacity even further, creating about 120 jobs beginning in the later part of 2015.
“The support of Switch Ontario has been a huge help for us from the very start,” says Karl Hollett, the CEO of Strathcona Solar Initiatives and its parent company Strathcona Energy International. “It has provided us with an established, high-profile network of likeminded experts in the sustainability landscape and has played a tremendous role in the widespread acceptance for solar energy in Ontario. While I thank you wholeheartedly for honoring us with the Urban Initiatives Award, I also want to thank you for all your work and dedication to enable Ontario to switch to renewable energies.”