Great Canadian Solar

What Great Canadian Solar does

Great Canadian Solar Ltd. is a privately held, founder-owned solar photovoltaic (PV) contractor founded in 2009 by Clifton Lofthaug and Tamara Chivers, headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. The company provides full-scope engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning (EPC) services for solar PV systems across three segments: utility-scale projects (1 MW to 30+ MW), large commercial installations, and residential systems, all concentrated in Western Canada. Since inception it has designed and installed over 80-100 MW of capacity across more than 1,000 projects, including flagship deployments such as the 30.08 MW Hull Solar Farm (the largest in Western Canada at completion), the 26.98 MW Vauxhall Solar Farm, and a 6.5 MW system for Shell Chemicals' Scotford Facility. Certifications include NABCEP, ISNetWorld, COR, and Tesla Powerwall, and the company maintains a 14+ year Lost Time Injury Free record.

The core business model is project-based EPC revenue (professional services), supplemented by recurring operations and maintenance contracts, hardware sales of the proprietary Solar Sea Can remote power solution, and add-on service streams including battery storage, EV charging, solar carports, LED retrofitting, and drone-based site assessments. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales for utility and large commercial accounts, paired with a dedicated residential sales function; channel partnerships with Enmax Energy, Solar Offset, and Great Canadian Utilities extend distribution and customer monetization. The customer base spans utilities, oil & gas/chemicals (Shell), retail (La Maison Simons), real estate (Harvard Property Management, Sundance Housing Cooperative), municipal and educational institutions, Indigenous communities (Enoch Cree Nation), and residential homeowners.

The company is unencumbered by outside capital — founder-owned with no disclosed venture or institutional investors, no subsidiaries, and no acquisitions to date. Operating geographies remain confined to Western Canada with no international footprint. Management depth is technical, with the President (a NABCEP-certified PV Installation Professional and Master Electrician) and a Senior Project Manager (Master Electrician with 15+ years in electrical commissioning) anchoring a team that includes NABCEP-certified installers, Engineering Technologists, and field foremen with direct utility-scale construction experience.

Name

Great Canadian Solar

Legal name

Great Canadian Solar Ltd.

Website

https://greatcanadiansolar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Great Canadian Solar is a privately held, Edmonton-based solar PV EPC contractor founded in 2009, providing engineering, procurement, construction, and maintenance services for utility-scale, commercial, and residential solar installations across Western Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar EPC and Installation Services

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)

SIC

Electrical Work (1731)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar PV Power Plant EPC (Utility-Scale) (EUAEAAAG), Utility-Scale PV EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) (EUACAGAB)

Keywords

• Solar PV installation
• Solar EPC services
• Utility scale solar
• Commercial solar systems
• Residential solar contractor

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. EPC Services: Engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning of solar PV systems. This is the primary revenue stream covering full project lifecycle from design to installation and commissioning.
2. Operations and Maintenance: Ongoing maintenance services for solar PV plants from residential through utility scale. Includes scheduled, reactive, and unscheduled maintenance to ensure equipment longevity and continuous safe operation.
3. Remote Power Solutions: Mobile off-grid solar energy systems for industrial, emergency, and rural applications. Revenue generated from rental/sale of these portable solar units.
4. Additional Services: Battery storage solutions, EV chargers & carport canopies, LED lighting & retrofitting services offered as complementary offerings to solar installations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Great Canadian Solar is a Western Canadian solar EPC contractor that designs, engineers, procures, installs, and commissions solar photovoltaic (PV) systems across utility-scale, large commercial, and residential markets. The company also provides battery storage, EV chargers, LED retrofits, drone site assessments, operations and maintenance, and a portable containerized off-grid solar unit (Solar Sea-Can). Founded in 2009 and based in Edmonton, Alberta, the firm has installed over 100 MW of solar capacity across 1,000+ projects.

Product overview

Great Canadian Solar is a solar photovoltaic (PV) contractor offering end-to-end design, engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning services for solar installations across utility-scale, large commercial, and residential markets. The company's core product is its solar PV system installation service, which is supported by a suite of add-on offerings including battery storage, EV charging infrastructure, LED lighting retrofits, drone-based site assessments, and operations and maintenance contracts. Specialized offerings include the Remote Power Solution (Solar Sea Can) for portable off-grid solar power, a Solar Offset carbon credit partnership, and a Great Canadian Utilities energy pricing partnership. The portfolio spans projects from 4.8 kW residential rooftops to 30+ MW utility-scale solar farms, with hundreds of systems in operation across Western Canada since 2009.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solar PV System Design, Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning End-to-end engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning of solar PV systems for utility-scale solar farms, large commercial facilities, and residential properties. Handles system design, permitting, equipment procurement, installation, and ongoing performance monitoring for projects ranging from 4.8 kW residential rooftops to 30+ MW utility-scale farms.
• Battery Storage Solutions Residential and commercial battery storage systems that store excess solar energy for on-demand use, reducing grid reliance. Includes mobile app integration for monitoring and controlling a self-powered home or facility.
• EV Chargers and Solar Carport Canopies Electric vehicle charging station installation paired with solar carport canopy structures, enabling customers to power EVs with on-site solar generation at commercial sites and residences.
• LED Lighting and Retrofitting LED lighting upgrades offering up to 90% greater efficiency than traditional incandescent bulbs, with improved longevity and environmental performance for commercial and residential clients.
• Drone Site Assessment Services Commercial building site assessments for solar PV using drone technology, performing automated pre-planned flights with specialized software to conduct detailed site surveys in minutes, reducing time and cost compared to manual field measurements.
• Solar PV Operations and Maintenance Scheduled, reactive, and unscheduled maintenance services for solar PV systems ranging from residential through utility-scale projects, ensuring equipment longevity and continuous safe operation.
• Remote Power Solution (Solar Sea-Can) A mobile, compact, and flexible off-grid solar energy system housed in a 20-foot shipping container, providing 24/7 reliable power for industrial, construction, oil field, micro-grid, mining, festival, and emergency response applications. Features 44 solar modules, collapsible racking, external AC outlets, remote monitoring, and lockable security.
• Solar Offset Carbon Credit Partnership Program A program through which Great Canadian Solar customers can access the Alberta carbon market and generate passive income by creating and selling carbon offset credits over up to ten years, maximizing the economic return of their solar installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 MW+ of installed solar capacity across 1000+ projects
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Solar OffsetcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2023Partnership with Solar Offset Limited to provide carbon offset services to solar customers. Solar Offset brings together individual solar PV system owners to access the Alberta carbon market and create up to ten years of additional passive income from creating and selling carbon offset credits. Great Canadian Solar provides installation expertise while Solar Offset provides carbon offset expertise, maximizing economic return for clients.
• Enmax EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with Enmax Energy for commercial and municipal solar projects. Enmax Energy partnership enables solar lease programs and joint project development including installations for Orion Plastics, Samson Cree Nation, Brazeau County, Camrose facilities, Leduc facilities, Devon Community Centre, and The Mosaic Centre.
• Great Canadian UtilitiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRelated entity offering Albertans competitive electricity and natural gas pricing with access to Solar Club electricity pricing for solar customers. Partnership supports the Kidney Foundation of Northern Alberta with 3% cash back when bundling services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Solar: Global solar module manufacturer with a significant project development arm. Provides both the modules GCS installs and competing utility-scale development services in the Canadian market.
• Tesla Energy: Provider of solar panels, Powerwall batteries, and Solar Roof — products GCS is certified to install. Represents both a supply relationship (Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer) and a broader competitive threat as Tesla expands direct-to-consumer solar offerings.
• Recurrent Energy: Canadian Solar subsidiary developing utility-scale solar projects and storage across North America. Competes in the same utility-scale solar farm segment that GCS serves with Hull and Vauxhall-scale projects.
• SunPower: North American residential and commercial solar provider offering panels, systems, and installation services. Comparable on the residential segment served by GCS, though primarily US-focused and much larger scale.
• EDF Renewables Canada: Subsidiary of EDF Renewables developing and operating utility-scale wind, solar, and storage projects across Canada. Larger, better-capitalized incumbent pursuing the same large-scale renewable tenders in Western Canada.

Others

• Enmax Energy: Alberta-based electricity and gas utility that is both a partner (solar lease programs, joint commercial projects) and a customer-type buyer in the Western Canadian energy market. Relevant ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor.

Direct peers

• BluEarth Renewables: Calgary-based renewable energy developer with utility-scale solar, wind, and hydro assets across Canada. Comparable in Western Canadian utility-scale project focus, with overlapping customers in municipal and Indigenous community segments.
• SkyFire Energy: Calgary-based solar EPC contractor serving Alberta and Western Canada with utility, commercial, and residential installations. Closest direct peer given overlapping geography, customer base, and end-to-end EPC service model.
• Borea Construction: Canadian renewable energy construction firm specializing in solar PV and wind project execution. Comparable as a Canadian solar EPC contractor competing for similar utility-scale and commercial installation contracts.
• Elemental Energy: Western Canadian renewable energy developer and EPC with utility-scale solar projects in Alberta and BC. Comparable in scale of utility projects pursued and Western Canada focus, though more developer-led than pure EPC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gr8cansolar
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvf9dvJBEEE7kwbZal5csrA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Great-Canadian-Solar-Ltd-232383146801340/?ref=bookmarks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-canadian-solar-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatcanadiansolar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Great Canadian Solar