DATES

From September 2018 to September 2019

DESCRIPTION

The installation and commissioning of 442 bi-facial solar panels on the roof of the building housing the new head office of Local 144 as a part of a greater project designed to create clean energy in a green building.

PARTNERS

Installer/electrical contractor : Gastier M.P. Inc.
Mechanical engineering : Opsun Systems Inc.
Electrical engineering : Martin Roy & Assoc.
Structural engineering : NCK Inc.

THE CHALLENGE

This ambitious project in Montreal’s east end is the city’s largest installation of rooftop solar panels to date. It was designed with the objective of meeting the requirements for the highest LEED certification level, Platinum, and was also the first to adopt their new v4 framework. Local 144, the largest association of workers in the piping and plumbing industry in Quebec, was committed to harnessing as much solar energy as possible in its new headquarters while adhering to the high specifications of the certification.
After analyzing the client’s needs, expectations and technical considerations, Rematek Energy proposed to limit the amount of energy produced to offer a more cost-effective solution that maximized the client’s return on investment while garnering the maximum number of LEED points. For this project, we selected bi-facial solar panels which incorporate the most advanced technology currently available from the electronics giant LG.

One of the biggest challenges this new project posed was managing and coordinating the contributions of the various professionals collaborating at different stages of the project. This involved the participation of mechanical and electrical engineers and, most importantly, structural engineers whose expert guidance and specifications must be strictly adhered to in order to maintain the integrity of the building. Among other measures, a camera was installed on the roof to enable continuous monitoring of the premises and allow the client’s training centre to view the roof installation remotely.

RESULTS

The 442 panelsgenerate 172 kW of electricity at their peakand annually are expected to produce 240 000 kWh of clean solar energy. Local 144’s head office expects to receive its LEED Platinum certification in the summer of 2021.