Ontario, Canada will be the new site for green jobs in North America
Ontario has positioned itself to become the site of considerable renewable energy investments in North America. Spanish solar equipment maker Siliken S.A. announced the establishment of a new domestic content compliant manufacturing plant in Windsor, Ontario, Canada which will produce solar panels and create green jobs in the region.
The plant is expected to produce up to 50 megawatts of solar modules annually and will employ about 150 people, and is expected to be in full operation by the second quarter of 2011. By locating their plant in Ontario, Siliken SA is capitalizing on an Ontario provincial government program called green energy feed-in-tariff (FIT) plan which offers rich incentives and pay high rates for renewable energy developers producing clean energy in the province however a “made in Ontario” quota will be placed on the project, requiring 50% green energy project inputs to be Ontario-manufactured.
According to Ontario’s Minister of Energy Brad Duguid said the Green Energy Act and FIT program was made to attract investments in the region like Siliken. A number of big name companies producing solar equipment and wind turbines have also announced their plan to open plants in Ontario, including Samsung of South Korea and Siemens of Germany. Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis welcomes the new development in his City. According to him he is pleased that Siliken has recognized their highly skilled workforce, competitive location and the decision to locate in Windsor.
Siliken SA specializes in the manufacture of modules, PV components, and electronic grade silicon and wafers. The company’s objective is to produce increased clean energy generation capacity to replace fossil fuel with renewable energy. They are currently immersed in an international expansion process and with Ontario’s announcement; it strengthens its global presence. They have operations in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Belgium to name a few and their latest was built in San Diego, USA.
With the current trend in the market, it can be said that the race for energy-technology for most countries has begun. More and more countries are developing their own renewable energy industries and offering incentives to attract renewable energy investors, and with Siliken, Ontario is set to reach the finish line among the first.
