A $1-million funding investment from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. (NOHFC) will facilitate the development of a solar energy centre in Blind River.
A 17,500-square-foot solar energy centre at Blind River's industrial park, developed by the Blind River Development Corporation, has been in the works for months. The centre will house the North Shore Power Group and partner companies, which will assemble and install solar energy system equipment for the region.
It will additionally help provide training for students and start-up businesses in the clean technology sector.
Site preparation work, including the clearing and levelling of land, the installation of water and sewer service to the site, the erection of fencing and road construction was underway earlier this spring.Construction on the centre is expected to be completed in the spring of 2012.
Owned by the Town of Blind River, the North Shore Power Group's primary focus is the installation of solar panels on homes and businesses in the region.
The solar centre will complement a municipal microFIT program undertaken by the town, through which businesses and residents were encouraged to sign up for solar microFIT projects through the Ontario government.
Under the program, the town secured capacity for 600 10-kilowatt project sites—or 1,500 homes—and the municipality covered the cost of the materials and installation, while the profits are shared by the town and the homeowner.
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