October 21, 2025
The Awards for Solar Builder Project of the Year 2025 are being expanded this year with a new category – Canadian Project of the Year – and voting is now open!
The form is at the bottom of the page. You can vote once per day from now until Friday, October 31 at midnight ET (creepy!). For your information: our voting widget shall lets you vote more than once per day, but we filter these out in the backend. Sorry, voters. The winners will be announced and profiled in the December edition of Solar Builder Canada.
Thanks AP systems for sponsoring the 2025 Canada Project of the Year Award
Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge Microgrid
British Columbia | 824 kW PV + 1.6 MWh storage
Earlier this year, Hakai Energy Solutions partnered with Clayoquot Wilderness Resort to design and install British Columbia’s largest solar and battery microgrid. The microgrid features an 824 kW solar array, 1,512 panels, combined with a 1.6 MWh battery energy storage system. This combination allows Clayoquot Wilderness Resort to reduce its reliance on diesel generators, reducing diesel consumption by 80%. This significant reduction not only improves the resort’s energy efficiency, but also aligns with broader sustainability goals in the region.
The resort is very remote and located north of Tofino and is only accessible by seaplane or boat. This made transporting the project team and all necessary supplies a challenge. The team relied on ships to transport the solar panels, batteries and other equipment needed for the installation. Despite the logistical complexity, the expertise and determination of the crew ensured that the project was completed with precision and care.
Developer: Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge | EPC/Installer: Hakai Energy Solutions And Collins Construction Project Specialists Inc. (foundations) | Modules: Long | Inverters: SMA peak power | Storage: Tesla | Assembly/racking: Polar stretching
ENWIN Net metering facility for utilities
Ontario | 1.44 MW
The 1.44 MWdc rooftop solar array installed at ENWIN Utilities’ headquarters and net metering facility in Windsor, Ontario, is one of the largest rooftop systems of its kind in Canada. The facility was developed in collaboration with Essex Energy Corp. and includes five separate roofs, including a 25-year-old standing seam metal roof, and a flat roof system with a separate PV system. Because ENWIN’s building consumes approximately 1,600,000 kWh annually, the new solar panel was designed to power that load with renewable energy, fully offsetting the utility’s electricity needs. A key goal was to maximize solar panel coverage while maintaining the integrity of the existing roof. The team faced obstacles on the roof – such as HVAC units, ventilation stacks and natural gas pipes – that required careful planning to ensure effective panel placement and safe access for maintenance. These challenges were compounded by height differences on the roofs that caused shading problems, making it critical to carefully position solar panels to avoid performance losses.
Developer/EPC/Installer: Essex Energy Corp. | Modules: Long | Inverters: SMA Sunny Tripower CORE1 | Storage: N/A | Assembly/racking: S-5!
Estrada power plant
British Columbia | 25 kW
This house has a 25 kW solar system, which produces approximately 26,000 kWh per year. With seven children, the homeowner converted this home into a mini resort, but was unable to get a 400A upgrade. This PV system will provide enough power to eliminate the bill and also make the house blissful thanks to metal pipes to quality pest/rodent guards. By using microinverters, Ready Solar Inc. overcoming the challenge of multiple roof phases and not having to search for a location to mount equipment. An additional advantage of this system is the possibility to add a battery for the customer in the future.
Developer/EPC/Installer: Ready Solar Inc. | Modules: Long | Inverters: AP systems | Assembly/racking: S-5! And Kinetic stretch
Cast your vote!
Tags: Canada, commercial and industrial, Community Solar, POY, Project of the Year, Project of The Year Awards, utility scale
