Canadian Solar, Direct Energy Business sign long-term PPA on 23 MW Suffield solar project in Canada

Suffield Solar, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, and Direct Energy Business, part of Direct Energy, have announced that they have signed a long-term agreement to purchase all electrical output and associated capacity from the Suffield facility, scheduled to be online in 2020.

Once complete, the Suffield solar field will be Alberta's largest solar power project. While the majority of funding for the facility has been provided through private market investment, it was announced in January that the Suffield project was awarded CAD15.3 million (US$11.55 million) in funding through Natural Resources Canada's Emerging Renewable Power Program. Suffield was selected for this funding as the project will deploy some of the latest advancements in renewable technology, while spurring further investment in the industry. Bifacial modules offer many advantages over traditional solar panels as power can be produced from both sides of a bifacial module, increasing total energy generation and reliability during winter months.