Thunder Bay solar projects

6 rooftop solar installations

83,000 ft²of otherwise unused roof space

685kW power generation

Challenges

The existing buildings were not designed for solar panel loads.
The projects were located on public buildings being used daily.
Due to the northern location, panel arrangements needed to be designed to maximize annual power output.
The arrangement was carefully designed to factor in winter snow removal.

The arrangement of panels was carefully analyzed to maximize roof coverage without exceeding the structural design limits of the existing buildings.
Strong management and careful planning ensured the site work did not interfere with ongoing building activities.
Extensive simulations were carried out to ensure panel arrangements and angles were set to maximize annual output, taking into account roof layout and building location.
The mounting system was selected to allow safe and easy snow removal, and the system was arranged to minimize the impact of snow on energy output.

Projects were completed safely, achieving the Hatch goal of “no harm.”
There were no disruptions to daily building operations or public access to buildings.
Six installations were completed within the original budget and in accordance with the project schedule.
The installations were designed to generate approximately 394 megawatt hours of electricity per year—enough to power thirty-six homes.
Thunder Bay Hydro will sell the generated electricity to the Ontario Power Authority under a twenty-year Feed-In Tariff program (FIT) contract. The electricity will be distributed to the provincial grid.