The Alberta-based contractor PCL Construction has experienced significant growth in terms of revenue and headcount in its solar construction department. A significant part of the firm's work is in the United States.

According to a press release, PCL's Solar Division's income exceeded $500 million last year, an increase of about 60% from 2020. In the same time frame, the solar sector team at PCL nearly quadrupled in size, going from 119 to 214 employees. 

In fact, PCL has also increased its solar activities across the United States and Canada as the demand for renewable energy rises.

The business manager for PCL's solar division, Rodolfo Bitar, anticipates continued high demand for solar projects and believes solar work is essential to PCL's expansion as a business. He explains, "Government support for renewable energy here in the U.S. is significant and opens the door for many more products and opportunities.”

Andrew Moles, the director of Solar for PCL Construction, also said, “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. PCL has risen to the challenge by assembling an outstanding renewable energy team ready to meet the needs of this ever-growing market."

For significant participants in the IT and utility industries, PCL has so far negotiated more than $2 billion in solar energy projects. Among its most notable projects are:

• The Travers Solar Project is an approximately 700-megawatt direct current solar installation that spans 3,300 acres in Alberta, Canada. When finished, it will produce enough electricity for 100,000 houses yearly. The $700 million project, which 750 people are building, is the largest solar installation ever erected in Canada. The task is anticipated to be finished in the autumn.
• Once it is finished, the McKellar Solar Project in Tennessee will rank among the biggest solar power plants in the Tennessee Valley. Silicon Ranch provided the funding for the 95-megawatt direct current facility and will also be responsible for its ownership, operation, and maintenance, using a systematic approach to every project it builds.
• At 1,800 acres, the Shakes Solar Project will be one of the most extensive solar installations PCL has built in the United States by the end of 2022. Cypress Renewables owns and runs the facility, which has a 270-megawatt direct current output that can be sent to a substation more than 16 miles away through a 138-kilovolt transmission line. The energy generated is used to power 36,000 dwellings in the southern region of Texas.

As per Brad Hise, operations manager for PCL, U.S. Solar, the team at PCL improves its capacity for adaptation and its capacity for seeing chances for innovation with each project. 

He says, “Not one of the more than 50 solar projects built by PCL has been the same. Each time we take what we learned to streamline processes, serve as better advisors to our clients, and move the standard for excellence on solar projects even higher. Our diverse experience is one reason PCL has built a reputation as the go-to name in solar construction.”

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