(ADPnews) – Oct 5, 2010 - Spanish solar trackers maker Mecasolar has opened a plant in Ontario, becoming the latest company to join the Canadian province's solar energy gold rush and planning to capture a 10% chunk of ground installations on the blossoming market.
The new manufacturing facility, in Wallaceburg, will produce 2-axis and 15 kW, 1-axis trackers on an area of over 20,000 sq ft (1,858 sq m). Mecasolar claims it will be the only international company in the field of solar trackers which has a manufacturing facility in Ontario.
From Wallaceburg, the company will supply customers both in Ontario and in northern US states such as Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Illinois. It has already received orders for deliveries early next November.
Propelled by generous government policies, the Ontario solar power market is expected to reach 350-400 MW in 2011. The province’s feed-in tariff (FiT) scheme is proving to be a magnet for both domestic and foreign companies. The latest major to set foot there is German photovoltaic (PV) cells maker Q-Cells SE (ETR:QCE) -- which formed a joint venture with global manufacturing solutions provider ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc (TSE:ATA) and Photowatt, an integrated manufacturer and developer of solar systems -- to pursue large-scale solar projects in Ontario.
The feed-in tariff programme offers stable prices under 20-year contracts for energy generated from renewable sources. Since the scheme's launch in October 2009, clean energy projects have mushroomed across Canada's most populous province, appealing to both big developers and small generators.
The incentive programme was designed to quicken the province's shift to a low-carbon economy that should replace its pollution-spewing, coal-fired plants. It is also intended to provide a source of income after numerous jobs were lost in the demise of its once-burgeoning auto-making industry. The programme is aimed at creating 50,000 jobs and transforming Ontario into a clean energy hub in North America.
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