Solar Panel Manufacturer Coming to Kingston

Published on: 2010/11/29 - in Science & Tech

The Kingston Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO) has announced that Centennial Global Technology Inc., a Canadian company, is expanding their PV solar panel manufacturing operations to Kingston.

Centennial Global Technology Inc. describes itself as an eco-friendly company with the goal of promoting the use of renewable energy sources – specifically the solar-power systems they manufacture, which are amongst the most efficient on the global marketplace today.

“Centennial is the only 100 per cent fully owned Canadian solar panel manufacturer in the world,” said a Centennial Global Technology spokesperson. “We are North America’s first and largest manufacturer of custom high-quality, high performance photovoltaic solar panels and inverters and the only manufacturer in the world using four different cell technologies.”

The company’s operations – based in Montreal, Quebec – was founded in 2003 as Centennial Solar and by 2004, the company had established its own facility for manufacturing PV solar panels using four different technologies.

Their solar panels range from 5W to 240W and are IEC61215 and IEC61730 Certified with some models UL1703 certified. The company exports regularly to over 22 countries globally throughout Europe, Asian, Africa, Australia, North and South America.

“We are thrilled that Centennial Global Technology have chosen to expand their operations to Kingston,” said KEDCO’s CEO, Jeff Garrah. “it’s a big win for Kingston to see today’s investment and provides us with great a opportunity for further attraction of green energy manufacturers and their related supply chain partners.”

Centennial Global Technology Inc. is initially leasing 20,000 square feet of manufacturing space on St. Remy Place and the Kingston operations are expected to be fully functional by the end of 2010. The company intends to hire up to ten employees immediately with further recruitment plans in 2011.

Don Young, Chairman of SWITCH: Kingston’s Alternative Energy Cluster says, “I’m delighted to see more jobs coming to Kingston in the green energy sector. Sustainable energy will be the way of the twenty-first century and the work of establishing the Kingston area as a leading centre for sustainable energy will benefit the local economy for decades to come. The SWITCH community welcomes Centennial’s investment bringing solar photovoltaic manufacturing to the Kingston region. They’ve come to the right place to work in renewable energy and we look forward to having the opportunity to help Centennial establish, grow and expand their operations in the future.”

Centennial Global Technology will formally introduce their planned expansion into Kingston at the upcoming CanSIA (Canadian Solar Industry Association) Solar Canada expo in Toronto on December 6 – 7, 2010. For more information on Centennial Global Technology Inc., please visit  their website.

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Photo source: Wikipedia