SunEdison, a global leader in solar technology, has teamed up with Samco Solar, a Scarborough-based equipment and parts manufacturer, to produce solar racking equipment. Experts predict as many as 100 green jobs could arise from this partnership - a welcome boost given that Samco lost nearly 37% of its work force in 2008.
Source of Job Creation: the Green Energy Act
This partnership is just one of many to grow out of the Green Energy Act‘s feed-in-tariff (FIT) program - an initiative designed to encourage renewable energy production by offering generous incentives for clean energy sold back into the utility grid.
“This contract and the FIT program of the Ontario government have helped to stimulate growth in our company,” says David A. Pichard, VP Solar Business Development at Samco Machinery Ltd. “Working with a solar powerhouse like SunEdison has provided our organization with a significant opportunity for expansion into the green energy sector.”
The Ontario Economy
Introduced by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty in 2009, the Green Energy Act was designed to reduce pollution and green house gas emissions, create green jobs for Ontarians, and enhance community economic development.
“A lot of industries want to locate in Ontario . . . the Green Energy Act is groundbreaking” said Cherise Burda, Director of the Pembina Institute, a energy consulting firm and think-tank. “Ontario is about to get ahead of the curve, and manufacturing wants to get in.” Tim Weiss, Director of Pembina Institute’s renewable energy section agrees, commenting that, “Because of local content requirements, people will set up shop - these suppliers are driving manufacturing.”
Ontario Job Creation
Samco’s plan to distribute solar racking is expected to help many Ontario-based companies take advantage of the FIT, thus, directly and indirectly creating many green jobs throughout the province. “Ontario’s Green Energy Act has established our province as a beachhead in the clean energy economy,” said Brad Duguid, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. ”It has already attracted $16 billion in renewable energy investment, which will help create a projected 36,000 jobs.”
