Flexrack, a subsidiary of South Korean solar manufacturer Qcells, has entered into an agreement with Alltrade Industrial Contractors, a Canadian engineering, procurement, and construction firm. The partnership aims to expedite the development of two significant solar projects in Alberta, Canada, with a combined capacity of 182MW.
Flexrack will contribute its specialized fixed-tilt mounting technology to the 101MW Saddlebrook solar-plus-storage project and the 81MW Scotford facility. These projects are in various stages of construction and are expected to be operational by the end of the current year.
The Saddlebrook facility, owned by Canadian power company TC Energy, will integrate a battery storage component with an output of 6.5MW and a capacity of 40MWh. This development aligns with Canada's objective to expand its renewables sector, facilitated by tax incentives and a commitment from the Canada Infrastructure Bank to invest up to US$14.7 billion in decarbonizing the nation's electricity grid by 2035. The Saddlebrook project has already secured approximately US$7.3 million in funding from Emissions Reduction Alberta, a renewable energy investment fund operated by the Alberta government.
However, the Scotford facility, developed by US independent power producer Silicon Ranch, faces scrutiny over its contribution to Canada's net-zero transition. Although the power generated by the project will supply one-fifth of Shell's Scotford refinery's electricity demands, critics argue that the facility's output will be used for fossil fuel production, thereby undermining the renewable initiative's net-zero objective.
Kevin Ritzmann, senior director at Alltrade, praised Flexrack for their expertise. “We selected Flexrack by Qcells on these two projects due to their exceptional reputation and extensive experience with weather-challenged solar projects in cold climates, including throughout Canada and the Northeastern US,” he said.
The projects are a part of a broader scheme to boost renewable energy sources in Canada, aligned with the Inflation Reduction Act passed in the United States, which also aims to incentivize the renewable energy sector.
