A new plant to manufacture solar energy panels will open in Guelph early next year. At full production, the $30 million plant will employ up to 500 workers, and be able each year to turn out panels capable of turning sunlight into 200 megawatts of power. Although the company is headquartered in Kitchener, the Guelph plant will be its first manufacturing facility in Canada…Vermont’s two largest utilities will announce details of a new long-term power-purchase contract today with Hydro Quebec. Officials announced a tentative deal on March 11 and set a July 31 deadline for executing the contract but that will not be met. Under the deal, Vermont will get 225 megawatts of power – equal to about a quarter of the state’s demand for electricity – from Quebec from 2012 to 2038.
Madrid-based Renovalia Energy announced construction of the 120-megawatt Peace Butte wind farm will start in the first quarter of 2011 and the facility is expected be completed by the end of next year…Plutonic Power Corporation and GE Financial Services announced that their Toba Montrose General Partnership has commenced selling electricity to BC Hydro under an Electricity Purchase Agreement from power generated by the East Toba River. TMGP has received confirmation from BC Hydro that the project has met its guaranteed commercial operations date commitment under the EPA.