In 2016, Michael and Sharon Molnar launched Restoration Lands with big ideas for a 92-acre industrial site near Vernon which included a 450,000-square-foot glass plant.
The leading concept was the Okanagan Eco Industrial Park, which aims to balance economic growth with environmental sustainability through the offering of stratified commercial lots.
Considering the value of industrial land, the entrepreneurs recognized that “it doesn’t make sense to put a solar farm on the ground.” Instead, a multi-acre rooftop made more sense, especially in the desert-like Okanagan, which boasts “very high solar exposure.”
With support from BC Hydro, Restoration Lands this month unveiled the province’s largest commercial-industrial rooftop solar installation at their Okanagan Eco Industrial Park in Coldstream.
Featuring almost 2,500 solar panels, the array spans nearly 150,000 square feet, and is expected to produce 1.7 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity annually.
“This is about more than generating clean electricity,” says Adrian Dix, B.C.’s Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions. “It’s about redefining what sustainable industrial growth looks like in British Columbia.”
“We’re proving that electrified infrastructure and clean energy adoption can go hand-in-hand with economic revitalization, job creation, community building, and environmental stewardship,” he said.
The installation was made possible in part through BC Hydro’s Load Displacement Program, which helps reduce demand on the provincial grid by empowering large energy users to generate their own electricity onsite. Through its $700 million Energy Efficiency Plan, BC Hydro is excepting to deliver 2,000 gigawatt hours in electricity savings.
“What’s happening in Coldstream is … part of a broader shift toward scalable, resilient clean energy solutions across British Columbia,” remarked Charlotte Mitha, chief executive officer of BC Hydro.
“This project exemplifies how innovative partnerships and investments in clean energy can reshape British Columbia’s industrial landscape,” the CEO added.
Harwinder Sandhu, MLA for Vernon-Lumby, believes that the Okanagan Eco Industrial Park in Coldstream is an exemplar use of solar technology.
“Restoration Lands’ rooftop solar installation is a powerful example of clean energy in action,” Sandhu stated, “demonstrating how solar power can reliably meet the energy needs of diverse industries, lower carbon emissions, and reduce strain on our electrical grid.”
“It’s helping create skilled local jobs, drive long-term economic growth, ease pressure on the grid, and spark meaningful and strong partnerships that support sustainability and economic growth across the Okanagan and throughout British Columbia,” the MLA continued.
The Okanagan Eco Industrial Park currently has 10 active businesses, with an additional 17 lots ready for development.
“This initiative reflects our family’s focus on not just building for today, but also enabling for tomorrow by revitalizing Coldstream with sustainable infrastructure, economic opportunity, and environmental leadership,” commented Michael, who serves his company RLI as CEO.
“By transforming the vast unused space on our rooftop into a source of renewable energy,” he said, “we’re showing how responsible industrial innovation can create a more resilient future.”
Looking ahead, Restoration Lands is already considering a second phase of the solar project, which could double the current energy capacity and also incorporate battery storage solutions for the reliability of onsite power generation.