Kitchener Commissions Photowatt Ontario-Made 500 KW Solar Installation
CAMBRIDGE, ON - ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. ("ATS") (TSX:ATA) today announced that its subsidiary, Photowatt Ontario, has successfully completed a 500 kilowatt solar roof - top installation for the City Of Kitchener's new Consolidated Maintenance Facility.
The project, one of the largest solar roof-top installations in Canada, was officially commissioned by the City of Kitchener today in a ceremony attended by a number of federal, provincial, regional and municipal officials. The roof-top system, which covers almost 70,000 square feet, is expected to generate enough power annually to run an estimated 75 homes for a year and offset approximately 600 tons of CO2 emissions annually.
Photowatt Ontario acted as the solar system developer with responsibility for designing and installing the solar array and associated monitoring systems and producing the solar modules. The 2,660 solar modules used in the project were manufactured at the photovoltaic module facility in the Green Wing of the ATS campus in Cambridge, Ontario. The "Made in Ontario" production facility - designed and built by the ATS Automation Systems Group's Cambridge division - serves Ontario's rapidly growing demand for solar energy products in residential, commercial and industrial markets, as well as large - scale solar fields.
"This project is an important example of the progression of solar energy use and development in Ontario," said Anthony Caputo, President and CEO, ATS. "The Green Energy Act, feed-in tariff program and domestic content goals have provided an excellent foundation for both ATS and Photowatt Ontario employees to use our industry leading skills to serve the growing demand for solar modules and systems in our home market."
Through Photowatt Ontario, ATS has made a significant investment to serve the domestic solar market with module manufacturing and turnkey solar installations initially leading to the creation of 150 jobs.
"Photowatt Ontario and its employees are very proud to have played a leading role in helping the City of Kitchener achieve its commitment to green energy and solar in particular," said Chris Waters, Vice President and General Manager of Photowatt Ontario. "This project is a great example of Photowatt Ontario's capability to design, build and commission industrial/commercial PV solutions and to provide Ontario made content."
"I was pleased to help officially open the Photowatt Ontario Green Wing production facility last fall, and today's celebration is an indication of the success of the growing clean energy industry here in Ontario, and will serve the residents of Kitchener for years to come," said the Honourable Brad Duguid, Minister of Energy, Province of Ontario. "Ontario's Long-Term Energy Plan will ensure we continue on this path, and that companies such as ATS and Photowatt Ontario remain committed to our province, to domestic job creation and to helping us to improve our environment."
"This new solar roof is one of the largest of its kind in Canada and reflects a commitment to innovation from all levels of government," said Harold Albrecht, MP for Kitchener - Conestoga on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
"With the largest solar roof system in Canada, Kitchener has helped create about 1,200 direct jobs in the solar energy industry in Waterloo Region," said Mayor Carl Zehr. "We are serious about reducing our environmental impact and have chosen to be leaders in the solar industry at the local level."
About Photowatt Ontario
Photowatt Ontario has been established as part of the Photowatt group to serve the Ontario solar market. Combined with ATS, it is uniquely positioned, with over one million square feet of Ontario-based manufacturing, substantial automation and project expertise and extensive global solar capabilities and experience to be a natural domestic solar market leader. The module line is one element of Photowatt Ontario's investment in Ontario to serve the Ontario solar market with module manufacturing and turnkey solar project development and installations. Photowatt Ontario is also developing solar projects directly, including 64 megawatts of large-scale renewable energy projects in Northern Ontario with a joint venture partner and is actively pursuing partnerships with developers/building owners/operators and municipalities for roof - top solar installations.
The Photowatt group is a turnkey solar project developer and integrated manufacturer. Photowatt designs, manufactures and sells solar modules, and installation kits, and provides solar power systems design and other value-added services, principally in Western Europe and Ontario. Photowatt France has a well-established and ongoing research and development program, alliances with energy industry leaders through the PV Alliance joint venture and 30 years of experience in processing silicon and making ingots, wafers, cells and modules. Visit the Photowatt website at www.photowatt.com and the Photowatt Ontario website at www.photowattontario.com.
About ATS
ATS Automation provides innovative, custom designed, built and installed manufacturing solutions to many of the world's most successful companies. Founded in 1978, ATS uses its industry-leading knowledge and global capabilities to serve the sophisticated automation systems' needs of multinational customers in industries such as life sciences, computer/electronics, energy, transportation, and consumer products. It also leverages its many years of experience and skills to fulfill the specialized automation product manufacturing requirements of customers. Through Photowatt, ATS participates in the growing solar energy industry. ATS employs approximately 3,000 people at 21 manufacturing facilities in Canada, the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia and China. The Company's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ATA. Visit the Company's website at www.atsautomation.com.
For further information:
Carl Galloway, Vice-President, Treasurer
519 653-6500
