Thunder Bay Airport — Canada

Thunder Bay Airport is a 8.5 MW solar power plant in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Skypower / Canadian Solar. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 3.6k homes (estimated). It ranks #842 of 1,210 Canada power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2011, it is around 15 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 1.6% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CAN0008470.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000832051; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 8.5 MW, Thunder Bay Airport is below the median solar plant in Canada (10 MW). Technically it is described as PV. Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Share of Canada solar capacity

0.5% of 1,823 MW across 143 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

10 of 119 dated solar plants in Canada are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest solar plants in Canada

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Skypower / Canadian Solar.

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 48.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 121% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 96/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 0.0% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #116 largest solar power plant of 143 in Canada by capacity.

Canada has 143 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 1,823 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Fort William · Solar · 10.9 MW · Ontario
• Thunder Bay Condensing Turbine · Biomass · 62.4 MW · Ontario
• Thunderbay G3 · Biomass · 135 MW · Ontario
• Thunder Bay power station · Coal · 320 MW · Ontario
• Kakabeka · Hydro · 25 MW · Ontario
• Silver Falls · Hydro · 51 MW · Ontario

Location

Coordinates 48.3653, -89.3208 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions