Caledon Yard
Solar Canopy - Caledon, Ontario
158 kW
DC
160 kW
AC
174,000
kWh generated yearly
290
Panels Used
2,543
Tons of CO2 Emissions Saved (Tons/25yr)
578
Acres of Trees Planted
The Town of Caledon | Caledon Yard
A Solar Carport Built for Power Generation and Fleet Shelter
Caledon Yard is a municipal operations facility of the Town of Caledon, responsible for keeping the town's roads safe and clear through Ontario winters. The site called for a carport to shelter the municipality's full-size snowplow fleet while also generating solar power — with the client wanting a custom carport to accommodate two vehicles per bay, requiring a fully custom layout designed around the fleet's size and spacing needs. The result: crews roll out faster, significantly reducing scraping ice or waiting on a cold engine, while the array works toward the site's energy goals.
Engineering Around the Fleet
Fitting two vehicles per bay called for a fully custom carport design, tailored to the fleet's specific size and spacing needs. The project plans called for a steel frame, engineered to their spacing requirements. Our scope focused on what sits on top of that structure: we designed and installed the solar array along with our patented water and snow management racking system, purpose-built for solar canopies to keep runoff and snow load managed cleanly across the structure — a critical detail for a facility built to handle Ontario winters.
Net Metering System
Supporting a Municipal Fleet Facility
Caledon Yard operates under a net metering arrangement, allowing the facility to generate solar power and receive credit for surplus energy sent back to the grid. This structure supports the project's dual-purpose goals — offsetting the facility's energy use while the carport itself provides separate, non-energy value by sheltering the fleet.
Class A vs Class B
Ontario splits electricity customers into two GA (Global Adjustment) billing classes:
Class A — Large industrial/commercial users (like Pano Cap) enrolled in the Industrial Conservation Initiative. They pay GA based on their share of usage during Ontario's five annual peak-demand hours, rewarding them for reducing draw during those windows.
Class B — Most other businesses, who pay GA based on total monthly consumption, with no peak-hour incentive.
As a Class B municipal customer, Caledon Yard's costs are driven by total consumption rather than peak-hour timing — which is part of why net metering (maximizing total solar generation) was the better fit than load displacement.
Eligible for the Clean Electricity
Investment Tax Credit (CE ITC)
As a municipal facility, Caledon Yard is eligible under the 15% Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit (CE ITC) — a federal incentive distinct from the 30% Clean Technology ITC (CT ITC), which applies to private-sector projects. The Clean Electricity ITC is available to taxable and non-taxable entities, including municipalities and municipal utilities, that invest in clean electricity generation and storage — making it a relevant incentive for public-sector projects like this one.
A Dual-Purpose Investment
Caledon Yard shows how a solar carport can serve multiple purposes on a single site — sheltering critical municipal fleet vehicles while contributing to the Town of Caledon's clean energy goals. By working within the client's custom steel frame design, our team delivered a solar array and a proprietary water- and snow-management racking system suited to the demands of an active winter-operations facility. With net metering in place and eligibility for the Clean Electricity ITC, the project positions Caledon Yard to get long-term value from its investment, both operationally and financially, for years to come.
