Sunny days ahead for Ottawa solar projects as 4 get council’s go-ahead

OttawaFour solar panel projects in Ottawa have received the green light from city council and experts expect more will soon follow. Still need final approval from province, howeverCBC News · Posted: Oct 26, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThis summer, the Canada Science and Technology Museum added new, state-of-the-art solar panels. Several people who spoke to CBC and Radio-Canada say they expect solar projects to take off as the technology becomes increasingly cost-effective. (Frédéric Pepin/Radio-Canada)Four solar panel projects in Ottawa have received the go-ahead from city council, and experts and advocates believe more could soon follow. “Nothing is more important right now than energy. We talk about how energy is the new gold,” said Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry, whose ward could house two of the new projects. At its meeting on Oct. 8, city council gave approval — known as municipal support confirmation (MSC) — to two solar energy projects in Kanata North and two more in West Carleton-March.That comes after the city hit pause on new renewable energy facilities over the summer.The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), the organization that manages Ontario’s electricity system, requires developers to have MSCs before submitting a provincial procurement proposal. The four projects which got an MSC from council on Oct. 8 were:The Dunrobin Solar Project, located on Dunrobin Road and on two properties without addresses.The Carp Airport Solar Project at 1500 Thomas Argue Rd. Kanata Solar I at 375 March Valley Rd. and 940 Klondike Rd. Kanata Solar II at 915 Klondike Rd.They all still need to be approved at the provincial level before they become a reality. But they’re needed, Curry said, to meet a growing demand for electricity in a changing world, adding that she anticipates many more renewable energy projects will get greenlit across Ontario. Electricity demandAccording to Curry, whose ward is known for its tech park, reliable energy is essential to attract and support businesses.”It used to be that companies would come in and put all their furniture in and then ask [Hydro Ottawa], ‘Oh, can you hook us up to electricity?'” Curry said.”It’s a totally different world now. [Businesses] won’t even relocate, they won’t expand unless they know they can be guaranteed that power.” LISTEN | Coun. Curry discusses projects in Kanata North:Ottawa Morning8:17Solar energy project in Kanata NorthIs Ottawa’s west-end becoming the place to make or stage vast amounts of energy? A solar panel farm in Kanata North is one of the latest projects being discussed. Ottawa councilor Cathy Curry explains more about the project.Curry added that it’s important for the energy to be green so that companies from foreign countries with stricter regulations can still meet their requirements if they relocate to Kanata or open an office there.Two of the four solar projects recently approved by city council are in Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry’s ward. (Stu Mills/CBC)’Population explosion’In addition to businesses, ordinary Ontarians will increasingly need power, said Karin Hinzer, an electrical engineering professor at the University of Ottawa, in a French-language interview.There’s been a “population explosion” across Ontario — including Ottawa — that “was not planned for 20 years ago,” Hinzer said.In a French-language statement to Radio-Canada, the IESO wrote that electricity demand in Ontario is expected to increase significantly and it wants to “maintain the reliability of the provincial grid at the lowest cost.”As of May 14, 2025, only 2.2 per cent of Ontario’s electricity was being generated by solar power, according to data from the Ontario Energy Board.But that could change, the IESO said.”With falling costs and improving capabilities of renewable energy and battery energy storage systems, renewable resources such as solar energy should be competitive in our supplies,” the agency said.Solar technology has been improving, agreed both Hinzer and John Kirkwood, president of the Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-operative (OREC).OREC partnered with the Canada Science and Technology Museum in 2019 to install solar panels on its roof, and this summer installed even more, Kirkwood said.The newer solar panels are double-sided, he said, so they can generate more electricity than the old ones of the same size.Kirkwood said that when the new solar panels produce excess electricity, the museum gets credit on its bills. (Frédéric Pepin/Radio-Canada)”We’ve got close to a megawatt operating on this rooftop,” he said. Kirkwood also expects there will be more demand for solar energy in the coming years and said he’s “really optimistic about the direction the [provincial] government is taking.” “We’re looking forward to absolutely more renewable energy. And it’s not just because it feels good or it’s nice,” Kirkwood said. “We believe it’s literally cheaper than nuclear, than natural gas, and it’s obviously better for the environment. So we think it’s a benefit in many respects.”With files from Radio-Canada’s Frédéric Pepin and Nelly Albérola