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Some of Windsor's nicknames include, "Rose City", "Sun Parlor of Canada" and the "Garden Gateway to Canada".
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NewsThis section will keep you updated on important business news stories in the Windsor-Essex Region, named Best Small City for Investment by FDI Magazine. $50M Solar Project Awaits OKFriday, Feb. 5, 2010
ESSEX -- A South Korean company hopes to announce a construction start within months for a $50-million, 10-megawatt solar energy project in Essex County that could be just the first of several to follow. Youil Ensys Corp. has been surveying Essex County for potential solar power sites for its first investment in Canada, overseas business manager Michael Kim said Thursday. The company believes it has at least one suitable site in Essex County, and will be seeking approval from the Ontario Power Authority for a contract to supply energy and permission to tap into the transmission grid, said Kim. If all approvals fall into place, the solar project could be built and in operation by the end of the year, Kim said. "I believe it can be done." It could be the first largescale solar project built in the region. Kim said the company hopes to have several such projects in Essex County. Amherstburg has a proposal for a $300-million, 35-megawatt solar energy project on former General Chemical lands that has been stalled awaiting approval of financing. "It's wait and see on that project," said Mayor Wayne Hurst. Hurst said the town hasn't heard anything since Helios Energy and its California-partner SunPower Corp. applied for building permits last November, but haven't proceeded. Local and federal environment approvals were received for the first phases of the Helios/SunPower project. Ontario's 2009 Green Energy Act and the feed-in tariff rates offered for solar power generation accounted for Youil Ensys' interest in the province. The southern location of Essex County accounts for the site search here, Kim explained. The company, based in Seoul, has a Windsor office. Kim believes local companies could build at least 50 per cent of the components needed for their projects, generating local jobs as well. The company hopes to have several solar power projects in Essex County, but one obstacle could be the local transmission capacity to get onto the power grid, Kim said. Another issue is whether the province's recently announced green energy deal with Korea's Samsung Corp. will crowd out smaller companies trying to build solar and wind projects and gain access to the power grid, Kim said. "It is a concern," he said. On the other hand, the public attention received by the Samsung deal has been beneficial for other Korean companies like Youil Ensys, Kim said. Kim and other company representatives met with the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority board Thursday to see if some of the authority's buffer lands around the regional landfill could also be used for solar power production. Youil Ensys has asked if two, 50 acre parcels of land on County Road 18 owned by the authority could be acquired for solar projects. The authority deferred the request to get an administrative report. Kim said the authority property was attractive because relatively few people lived nearby. However, the land was only one of multiple sites being considered for projects, Kim said. "We need to look ahead." Youil Ensys has specialized in noise and vibration control engineering since 1980, and began design and construction of solar power plants in 2007. In Korea, the company has built its own solar power project as well as participating in joint ventures with other companies. The company also manufactures some of the structural components of solar power systems for both rooftop and ground-based projects. Article Credit: |
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