(L-R) Belleville mayor Taso Christopher, Hastings County Warden Rick Phillips, Bay of Quinte MP Neil Ellis are given a first hand look at operations at Strathcona Energy Group during a tour given by CEO Karl Hollett on Wednesday July 27, 2016. (Photo: Nicole Kleinsteuber / Quinte News)
The federal government is making a major financial investment into a local solar panel manufacturer helping boost production and creating 86 new full-time jobs.
On Wednesday, Bay of Quinte MP Neil Ellis announced FedDev Ontario is giving Strathcona Energy Group Inc $1.95 million towards a $7.8 million project to expand its facility space by an additional 100,000 feet, trade opportunities through export markets, testing and research development.
CEO Karl Hollett said research and development is crucial, pointing to the company’s new agriculture solar module that has been in development for three years. It is designed to be installed inside greenhouses to speed up plant photosynthesis.
MP Elli,s whose campaign included many promises for green initiatives, hinted without being specific that there are more announcements coming soon.
Mayor Taso Christopher said Wednesday’s announcement is fantastic news for the community and for the environment.
The jobs are expects to be filtered in over the next 12 to 14 months.
