by Paul Morden, from www.theobserver.ca The Observer
The federal government is kicking in $3.1 million for a proposed $11-million pilot plant to build solar panel materials in Sarnia.
The funding for Ubiquity Solar’s polysilicon and ingot pilot plant was announced Monday in Waterloo by Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford.
Ian MacLellan, president of Ubiquity Solar, said the company is working to set up the pilot plant at TransAlta’s Bluewater Energy Park on the former Dow Chemical plant site beginning this summer, and then plans to scale up to commercial production there.
“Everything is on track,” he said. “It’s taking a bit longer than we would like, with all the paperwork and agreements.”
But, he added the company has “made a lot of progress” since it began talking about the project several months ago.
“We’re probably 80% there, from where we were then to where we need to be to launch,” he said. “So, we’re getting pretty close.”
Ubiquity Solar has begun moving materials to the energy park and the initial demonstration pilot plant will be housed in an existing building there, followed by an expanded pilot plant to be assembled nearby, MacLellan said.
“We’re busy working away on designs and we have selected an engineering firm.”
MacLellan said the pilot phase will “ramp up quite quickly” to a staff of approximately 50 people, and then level off before building again when the first phase of a production plant is completed.
“Our five-year plan is to get up to over 500 people in five years,” he said.
MacLellan said the company is using a modular technology, “so we can grow in steps.”
MacLellan said he’s pleased with the support from the federal government’s Sustainable Development Technology Canada’s SD Tech Fund.
“It lays the foundation for a 10,000 metric tonne per annum integrated production plant,” he said.
It will make polysilicon wafers used in the manufacturing of photovoltaic cells for solar panels.
“It’s a big step forward for them,” Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said about the federal funding for Ubiquity Solar.
“It does show that while there can be criticism of the Green Energy Act in this region, you also understand there can economic opportunities,” he said.
Bradley said he’s looking forward to seeing the company’s plans develop, adding the TransAlta energy park, as well as one at Lanxess, are locations the community has focus on for industrial development.
“They’re a natural fit there,” he said.
MacLellan said the outlook for the solar energy market has improved since he spoke in Sarnia last November about the company’s plans.
“The numbers for 2013 came in better than most people had forecast,” he said.
“We’ve seen this in Europe for the last couple of years where solar has been the dominate new energy source, and we’re seeing it certainly growing faster than wind.”
MacLellan has said jobs at the commercial-scale plant would to similar to those found at Chemical Valley industries, including engineers, technicians and operators.
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