Related Information:

Solar Energy Fact Sheet

Solar Energy in the Toronto Region Presentation

Ontario Green Energy Act Fact Sheet

6N Silicon Inc. Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade Success Story

 
Contact:

info@trra.ca

The Solar Energy Research and Development cluster stems from Toronto Region's Photovoltaic Innovation  

The Toronto Region is ...

• Located in the heart of 25 million acres of farmland - an ideal place to set up solar power technology due to the relatively high annual south-facing photovoltaic potential
• Part of a sophisticated electricity infrastructure and a growing demand for clean, reliable electricity generation:
  • The domestic market growth of solar energy products has been approximately 25% per year between 1992 and 2006, with a total installed capacity of 20.5 megawatts in 2006.
  • Government of Ontario recently passed the Green Energy Act (GEA) which aims to increase investment in renewable energy projects and increase conservation
• The site of Canada's first solar-powered community in Waterloo in 2002
• A growing hub with over 130 companies that design and install photovoltaic products for public and commercial needs, including: Arise Technologies, ATS Automation Tooling Systems, Bodycote, Danfoss, Enersource Hydro
  Mississauga Services, GE Energy, Hydro One Networks, Meikle Automation, Mondel Engineering, Pall, Sanyo Corp., SkyPower Corp., Taco, Toronto Hydro, Umicore Catalyst, and Viessmann Manufacturing
• Home to more than 100 university programs in engineering, physical and environmental sciences
• Producing an educated and highly-skilled workforce - over 3,400 university graduates (all levels) in solar energy related programs in 2007
  
  

Supportive Government Programs

• Government of Canada: Sustainable Development Technologies Canada; Scientific Research & Experimental Development Expenditures; NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program; New Environmental Technologies
  Evaluation; Financial Support - Science & Technology; and Canadian Environmental Technology Information Centre
• Government of Ontario: ecoEnergy for Renewable Heat; Ontario Solar Thermal Heating Incentive; Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program; Ontario Research Fund; Innovation Demonstration Fund; Investment Accelerator Fund; Business Mentorship and Entrepreneurship Program; Next Generation of Jobs Fund: Strategic Opportunities Program; and Ontario Business Research Institute Tax Credit
  
  

Solar Energy Research 

Toronto Region universities are a hub of research excellence recognized by major Canadian granting agencies. Photovoltaic (PV) research and solar energy research projects are well-supported:

• Canada Foundation for Innovation awarded $3.3 million in infrastructure grants related to solar power research projects in 2001-2008. 
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) awarded $3.5 million to solar power renewable energy research projects in the Toronto Region (2003-2008)
  
  

Research institutes based in Toronto Region universities conduct advanced research and development on photovolatics and solar energy, including:

• McMaster University: Centre for Electrophotonic Materials & Devices, Management of Innovation & New Technology Research Centre, McMaster Institute for Energy Studies (MIES), McMaster Manufacturing Research
  Institute, Power Research Laboratory, and Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research 
• Ryerson University: Thermofluid Research Lab 
• University of Guelph: Electrochemical Technology Centre, and Centre for Agricultural Renewability Energy and Sustainability 
• University of Toronto: Centre for Applied Power Electronics, Energy Systems Group, Photonics Group, Institute for Optical Science, U of T St. George Campus Sustainability Office, and UTM Environmental Affairs Office
• University of Waterloo: The Center for Advanced Photovoltaic Devices and Systems (CAPDS), ?-SiDIC: Amorphous Silicon Devices and Integrated Circuits Laboratory, Power and Energy Systems Group, Building Engineering Group (BEG), Waterloo Institute of Sustainable Energy, Waterloo Inorganic Materials Division
• York University: Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability

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