OptiSolar Farms Canada Inc. will build two 10 megawatt (MW) solar farms in Petrolia, a southwestern Ontario town of 5,000 near Sarnia. These two farms will provide Petrolia’s Local Distribution Company (LDC), Bluewater Power, with an additional 20 MW of electricity generating capacity.

The project was announced in May, 2007 after OptiSolar Farms signed a contract with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) to sell solar electricity under the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program. Following consultation with the public and after all local approvals are received, construction will begin in 2008 at a site located in Petrolia’s industrial park.

OptiSolar Farms will install hundreds of thousands of ground-mounted solar panels that capture energy from the sun and convert it to electricity. The projects will generate several million dollars in local construction work and procurement contracts.

By 2010, the solar farms will be feeding high-quality solar electricity into Bluewater Power’s electricity system.

The proposed 20 MW of solar electricity in Petrolia supports the Ontario Power Authority’s long-term goal of bringing the total contribution of renewable energy to 15,700 MW on the provincial electricity system.