Tŝilhqot’in Solar Farm

NODE Engineering provided end-to-end technical support to the Tŝilhqot’in Solar Farm, including feasibility studies, interconnection engineering, procurement support, project management, QA/QC, commissioning, and operations & maintenance support.

This 1.25 MW facility is located in the Chilcotin (BC, Canada) on the brownfield site of a former sawmill. Electricity generated is sold to BC Hydro under a long-term contract.

The project is 100% owned and operated by the Tŝilhqot’in Nation (TNG) and was almost entirely assembled by members of all six Tŝilhqot’in Nation communities.

The development addressed demanding conditions typical of BC’s Interior, including high latitude, rocky and frozen ground, harsh winters, remoteness, Indigenous cultural context, and grid-interconnection constraints.

Innovation

The Tŝilhqot’in Solar Farm set multiple Canadian firsts:

• Canada’s first utility-scale solar facility 100% owned and operated by a First Nation
• The first redevelopment of a former sawmill into a solar plant (brownfield-to-brightfield)
• The first utility-scale solar plant built at high latitude in Canada (~ 52°N)
• The first utility-scale solar plant installed by a team composed entirely of Indigenous workers