Helping Ontario use clean energy with new Oakville Trafalgar Hospital's new rooftop solar array

It was a welcome chance to give back to our community in a way that very few can—with a gift of clean energy. In 2015, we donated a state-of-the-art rooftop solar array to the Oakville Trafalgar Hospital in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. The installation will provide clean energy and revenue to the new hospital, located just 15 kilometres from Hatch's global headquarters. The gift, which is valued at approximately C$3 million, includes the capital expenditure for the equipment, plus full engineering design, procurement, permitting, construction, commissioning, and handover to Halton Healthcare, the hospital's managing body.

Completing the 500-kilowatt solar installation is the climax of more than two years of project design, installation, and testing. The array was connected to the provincial utility’s power grid on November 16, 2015, and reached full commercial operating status on November 30, 2015. The power it generates and sells will provide C$6.35 million in revenue to the hospital over a 20-year period through the Ontario Power Authority’s Feed-In Tariff (FIT) Program.

The elevated array, located on the roof of the hospital's parking garage, is architecturally unique. The top deck is fully functional as a parking area, and complements the building’s original architecture with a series of rooftop arches. For this installation, we combined best-in-class energy components to produce a consistent revenue stream over the duration of the FIT contract, with minimal operation and maintenance costs.