Capstone Infrastructure Corporation and SunPower have officially unveiled their new 20MW solar system in Amherstburg, Ontario. Although the system has been operational since June 30, it was only formally opened on Thursday, when local politicians, alongside Capstone and SunPower employees, officially dedicated the 220-acre site.
The park, owned by Capstone and built by SunPower, has been in development since 2008 and was completed on time and to the US$130-million budget. It is comprised of 57,906 panels mounted on 6,434 trackers and connected to Hydro One's distribution system.
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“The completion of the Amherstburg Solar Park marks an important milestone for Capstone Infrastructure as our first development project and our first solar power facility,” Capstone’s president and CEO Michael Bernstein said. “We are proud of the quality of the Amherstburg Solar Park and the contribution it will make to renewable energy in the Province of Ontario. We are also delighted to be part of the local community.”
While Capstone owns the solar park, it leases the property from Amherstburg businessman Loris Collavino, who bought the two plots of land from General Chemical. Originally, Collavino intended to build a wind turbine on the site but backtracked on these plans when approached by SunPower.
“This is a much more passive use,” Collavino said. “I was ready to invest millions for wind but I didn't have to because solar came to me.”
