In 2016, Michael and Sharon Molnar purchased the former site of the shuttered Lavington Glass Plant in Coldstream.
The Molnars then launched their own company, Restoration Lands, with big ideas for the 92-acre industrial site near Vernon, which included a 450,000-square-foot glass plant.
The main idea was the Okanagan Eco Industrial Park, which aims to balance economic growth with environmental sustainability through the offering of stratified commercial lots.
With an eye toward environmentalism, the entrepreneurs began to seek out clean energy opportunities for the site.
In 2018, Michael stated to Business Examiner that “One of the most unique features of this project will be the creation of a solar farm on the roof on the main factory,” which he claimed at the time would be “the largest solar installation in the province.”
Molnar recognized that, considering the value of industrial land, “it doesn’t make sense to put a solar farm on the ground.”
Instead, a seven-acre rooftop makes more sense (Molnar called it “free land”)—especially in the desert-like Okanagan, which boasts “very high solar exposure.”
“We’ve been tracking all the weather patterns since we purchased the building, and the site is very conducive to a project like this,” he said to BE in 2018, citing the support of surrounding municipalities and economic development organizations.
It’s taken a while, but Restoration Lands is indeed moving forward with its solar panel project, according a recent report from Okanagan outlet Castanet, which at more than seven acres in size is going to be the largest solar farm in the interior of BC.
The solar project is being installed across three stages, reports Tracey Prediger, with the completed farm forecast to produce up to four-megawatts at peak power.
Current tenants of the Okanagan Industrial Eco Park include Mushrom, a medicinal mushroom grower, and CedarCraft, which manufactures sustainable wood products designed for small-space gardening.
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