December 18, 2015 – Global engineering and professional services firm Hatch announced the successful completion of a roughly $3-million rooftop solar array, which it donated as a gift to the newly opened Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital.Now that’s a Merry Christmas, indeed!

“The Oakville Hospital is important to Hatch in many ways,” said John Bianchini, Hatch’s CEO. “First, we wanted to make a long-term contribution by generating revenue through clean energy. Second, the solar array itself showcases the innovative design of Hatch engineers. Our team collaborated with the hospital and construction partners to complete the project to coincide with the hospital’s opening.”

Completion of the rooftop array follows more than two years of project design, installation and testing. The solar array was connected to Ontario’s power grid on November 16, 2015, and obtained commercial operation status November 30, 2015. Power generated and sold through Ontario’s Feed-in tariff program will provide the Oakville Hospital Foundation with revenue of $6.35 million over a 20-year period.

Located on the roof of the parking garage, the elevated array was designed to be architecturally unique, explains Hatch. The design allows for full functionality of the top deck as a parking area, and complements the building’s original architecture with a series of rooftop arches.

The gift consisted of capital expenditure plus full engineering design, as well as procurement, permitting, construction, commissioning and handover to Halton Healthcare.

“Many of our corporate office employees live in the area,” added Bianchini. “When visiting the hospital, they can be proud of the innovative contribution that Hatch has made to their community.”

The electrical contractor for the job was Fitzpatrick Electrical (Uxbridge, Ont.), a member of Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario (ECAO).

— Photos courtesy Hatch