Rainy River Solar

Rainy River First Nations Solar LP | Canada | 2013–2015

25 MWAC

135,000
PV modules

210
acres

13,000
helical piles

Challenges

  • Build a 210-acre, 25 MW solar farm in Canada's north.
  • Project comprises three smaller developments (two 10 MW sites and one 5 MW site). Each site required a separate feed-in-tariff contract, renewable energy approval, and substation.
  • Temperatures are below ˗40 °C for much of the year, so there were design and construction challenges related to deep frost and exposure limits.

Solutions

  • Hatch acted as full-time, on-site owner's engineer.
  • Provided detailed design basis, noise study documentation, regulatory applications and permit alignment, energy output assessment, and system modeling.
  • Custom inverter housings and the longest piling foundation ever used in Ontario implemented to overcome deep frost challenges.

Highlights

  • 13,000 helical piles used that could withstand potential frost heave while still allowing cost-effective and timely installation.
  • Significant participation from local First Nations communities; Rainy River First Nations was majority project owner and formed a significant part of the project labor force alongside other local communities.
  • Project outperforming expectations.

Project numbers

41,000 MW hours of electricity per year
20-year power purchase agreement
C$132.5 million CAPEX
3,900 households powered

Services & technologies provided

Engineering

Project management

Renewable power

What's your challenge?

Let's connect.

Related projects