Ontario Construction News staff writer
PCL Construction has taken the next step to growing a solar business: PCL Solar. Headquartered in Toronto, with satellite offices across the United States and Australia, the operation will build on PCL’s solar portfolio to expand the array of renewable energy projects.
“The demand for high-performing solar facilities will only increase in the coming years as the world transitions away from carbon-producing forms of energy generation,” says Andrew Moles, general manager of solar for PCL Construction. “PCL has risen to the challenge by assembling an outstanding renewable energy team ready to meet the needs of this ever-growing market.”
In the past five years, PCL’s solar team has completed projects including Travers Solar – which will be the largest solar project in Canada, the Gunnedah Solar project in New South Wales, Australia, and U.S. projects in Texas, Oregon, Georgia, Colorado and Tennessee. The Solar team’s new work attainment was $1.1 billion in 2021.
The geographic expansion across Canada, the United States and Australia has helped PCL attract work in the emerging market, and the company expects “significant opportunities for continued growth in 2023” and beyond.
Andrew Moles will lead the operation as general manager, after joining PCL in 2007 and working on solar projects since 2009. He has led solar expansion efforts across North America and Australia and served as a board member on the Canadian Solar Industries Association and as a board member and Vice-Chair of the Utility-Scale Solar Division of the US Solar Energy Industries Association.
The operation will be responsible for estimating, design, performance analytics, solar-specific technology, project execution and in-house commissioning.