Who installed it, how did we choose that company?

Our solar array was built by Sun Volts Unlimited in July 2009. It took three days. We have pictures.

Sun Volts supplied all the materials and components, and a crew of two performed all the labour. Sun Volts also arranged for all building permits, inspections, etc. Basically, when they were done their work, we had an array that was ready to go, as soon as we could connect it to the public power grid.

We chose Sun Volts because they were the recommended vendor chosen by RISE Again, a solar power community group in the Riverdale area of Toronto, near where we live. RISE has since become part of Our Power, a Toronto-based solar power advocacy and facilitation group.

Sun Volts was the oldest company in Ontario doing this kind of work, having been founded by Rob Harding in 1987. Mr. Harding is a past president and past vice president of the Canadian Solar Industries Association.

In the summer of 2011, Sun Volts went out of business. I have not learned anything about why, or what led to this. My pure conjecture is that since the solar power business is extremely capital intensive, maybe they ran out of cash? The uncertainty about microFIT leading up the 2011 Ontario election may have contributed too. But these are only guesses on my part. If anyone knows what really happened, please drop me a line. Thanks.