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Heliene poised for growth thanks to growing U.S. market

Five years after setting up shop in Sault Ste. Marie, Heliene is poised for a period of growth as it eyes a burgeoning solar-energy market in the U.S.
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Martin Pochtaruk, president of Heliene in Sault Ste. Marie, believes the company is poised for growth in 2016, following several stalled years in the business.

Five years after setting up shop in Sault Ste. Marie, Heliene is poised for a period of growth as it eyes a burgeoning solar-energy market in the U.S.

The company, which manufactures photovoltaic solar modules, recently hired 13 full-time employees to add to its production line, bringing its total staff roster to 58.

Company president Martin Pochtaruk said that number has fluctuated between 30 at its lowest production period and 70 at its peak, which changes with the rollercoaster-like ups and downs of the industry.

“It has been a tough go,” Pochtaruk said. “We call it the ‘solar coaster,’ because basically we run full capacity for three or four months and then barely anything for three or four months. We’ve been able to weather the storm, not without tripping a few times along the way — but we’re still here.”

Pochtaruk said Heliene experienced roughly 30 per cent growth, year over year, between 2000 and 2010, but growth stalled in the years that followed. Then, in 2014, the company experienced “a very small growth,” he said, and in 2015, Heliene is growing again.

The company is in a rare position. Of several solar-panel installation companies that set up in the Sault after the province launched its Feed-in Tariff program in 2009, few remain operational, a trend that has repeated itself across the province, Pochtaruk said.

But Pochtaruk believes Heliene is again poised for growth in 2016. The company, which has done roughly $110 million in revenue, is currently exporting 90 per cent of its product to the U.S., and that’s where Pochtaruk expects future expansion to occur.

To accommodate that growth, Heliene established a new finishing plant in St. Paul, Minn., in January. Working with a U.S. partner, SimpleRay LLC, Heliene will produce photovoltaic panels, with final assembly and testing taking place at Heliene’s St. Paul facility.

Pochtaruk said St. Paul was made attractive for setting up shop thanks to the Made in Minnesota Solar Incentive Program, which provides financial incentives to companies and consumers that manufacture or install solar arrays made in that state.

Pochtaruk said Heliene doesn’t have access to markets in other countries, such as Japan or China, and with its accelerated growth in solar energy production, the U.S. market makes sense for the company.

“A large percentage of the new power generation capacity in the U.S. is solar — renewables in general, but solar is a big part of it — so that’s where we foresee the demand being,” Pochtaruk said. “And we’re on the border, so it’s a natural market for us.”

Heliene’s primary clients are developers, who own private power-generation facilities and are looking to add a solar component to the building, and engineering companies that are designing a building for a client.

Closer to home, other markets are emerging, but slowly. A renewables program focused on wind and solar is under development in New Brunswick, while Alberta is looking at following in Ontario’s steps in decommissioning its coal-power generators, Pochtaruk said. But its program is also in development.

“Nothing’s going to happen for at least another year, but at least we’re going to see that something is going to happen,” he said. “We would supply them from here, but with the U.S., the phone is ringing today. In a year and a half, we might have something to do in Alberta.”