Ontario’s solar industry will benefit from a new partnership between Toronto’s AS Solar, Inc. and ECS Clean Energy Solutions, Ltd. (ECS), based out of British Columbia. Together, the companies will provide the province’s certified solar workers with a single source for the supplies necessary at each stage of a solar panel installation, as well as training on each product.
AS Solar is the Canadian division of Germany’s AS Solar, GmbH, which provides complete photovoltaic (PV) solutions for European commercial and residential markets. ECS is a division of Richmond, BC’s ECS Electrical Cable Supply, Ltd. (ECS Electrical), which is the country’s biggest independently-owned distributor of wire and cable for electronics. The partnership between the two companies allows each to gain a foothold in the Ontario solar industry while it makes use of AS’s international connections to ensure access to the latest technologies from abroad. According to Christy Morrison, ECS’s National Business Development Manager, “This partnership… leverages both our strengths to provide the Canadian solar PV market with a one-stop solution, while elevating the services and product offerings to our customers.”
Ontario Solar Industry Creates Green Energy, Careers
Ontario continues to create thousands of green careers with its feed-in tariff (FIT) program, which pays high prices for renewable energy producers feed into the grid from a variety of sources. The program continues to inspire investment into green energy projects and support industries like manufacturing and green educational streams. The province is home to Ontario Solar Academy, Canada’s only ISPQ-certified training institution. The Academy provides solar panel certification training to Canadian workers and entrepreneurs who want to augment or begin new careers in green energy generation.
The partnership between AS and ECS creates a centralized location for installers and owners of solar projects to learn about and purchase the latest technologies to harness the power of the sun. As AS’s Managing Director, Ian Karleff, puts it, “This one-stop solar solution is exactly what is needed to fulfill the goals of a growing number of homeowners, farmers, businesses, and developers to participate in the renewable energy revolution.”
