At Community Energy Development Co-operative (CED Co-op) we are lucky to work with amazing partners who support renewable energy generation. From those who design and install our projects, to the business owners partnering in project ownership, these people are helping change the world. This new blog series will feature a profile of one of our partners each month.
This month, we’re chatting with Brian Unrau, President of renewable energy developer Vigor Clean Tech
So, who is Vigor Clean Tech? Let us know a bit about your background.
Vigor Clean Tech has been helping businesses and individuals save money on their electricity bills and support clean energy since 2008. We began with microFIT projects, then moved on to larger FIT installations. Along the way we have worked with everyone from individuals and small businesses, to charities and municipalities. We have developed over 6 MW of solar projects in Ontario. There are another 5 MW of projects to be completed in the next two years.
Who are the people behind Vigor Clean Tech making all these projects happen?
At Vigor Clean Tech, we’re a small company, making a big impact. Our core team consists of 9 people in our Petersburg office. From there we take care of everything from project applications, permits and paperwork, to designing systems, sourcing components, working with contractors, and delivering ongoing operations and maintenance support.
The installation of our customers’ systems is done by our partner contractors. They’re trusted professionals who we have worked with on countless projects. They understand solar panels and solar systems and deliver seamless, clean, installations of every type, shape, and size.
What makes Vigor Clean Tech unique in the solar industry?
One of our priorities is approaching each system with an owner’s mindset. We work hard to maximize the efficiency of each system, getting the most power from each ray of sunlight. This means the best returns for customers like your members. It’s about more than slapping solar panels on a roof – we really want to make sure everything from design to component selection gives you the best outcome.
We follow this up with a service and warranty partnership to give you peace of mind. A solar system doesn’t do much good if no one is there to monitor and maintain it so it performs at peak power.
How do you train yourself to “think like an owner?”
It comes from being owners of our own systems. Vigor Clean Tech owns over 2 MW of solar installations, so we know how owners feel about achieving optimum performance. It doesn’t hurt that all three of our owners have solar installed on their properties either!
Which CED Co-op projects have you built, and which are your favourite?
There are too many to count! MCC Ontario is a truly unique installation and partnership that has become a flagship system because of its visibility in the community. The Township of Wellesley has some of the first projects we built for you, and it was great to see a municipality investing in renewable energy, and committing across their buildings. Finally, the Solvation projects in Blind River were a great opportunity to build trackers and really maximize the power we could create. The finished photos and videos of fields of panels are truly impressive.
