Introduction: A Green Lighting Push from Drummondville
In Drummondville, a small but ambitious company is proving that solar power can illuminate cities as reliably as traditional grids. Solidel, led by Samuel Tremblay, has built a line of solar street lamps designed specifically for municipal use rather than garden lighting. Four years ago Tremblay and a team of investors took over the company; last year, sales quadrupled, signaling growing demand for off-grid, customizable urban lighting across Quebec.
As Tremblay puts it, the reach is broad and growing. “We’re found all across Quebec—from Fermont to Abitibi, and there are many installations around the Montréal area, Laval, and, of course, Drummondville,” he notes. This footprint underscores a coast-to-coast appetite for green infrastructure that can reduce reliance on traditional power networks.
Product Features: Flexibility for Municipal Needs
The Solidel approach blends practical engineering with adaptable design. The street lamps are engineered to be flexible and adjustable to various municipal requirements: brightness can be tuned to illuminate a sports field or a quiet street; the height is variable to fit different sightlines; and most installations sit on a self-supporting concrete base that can be moved if layouts change.
These are not the compact solar lights you might see in a home garden. Tremblay emphasizes reliability even in challenging weather: if the sun is scarce, the system is capable of lighting for seven consecutive nights on a charged battery. This off-grid resilience is a key selling point for communities seeking dependable winter lighting without expanding the electrical grid.
Municipal leaders increasingly view lighting as part of a larger move toward green infrastructure. Tremblay reinforces this perspective: “Cities and municipalities want to tilt toward green solutions. There’s talk of stepping away from the grid, and Hydro-Québec has signaled that a collective contribution will be essential.”
Made in Drummondville: Craftsmanship Meets Innovation
Solidel’s operations are tightly integrated in two production facilities in Drummondville, where a small team of four employees handles everything from design to installation. Tremblay describes the work as a form of artisanal manufacturing, blending hands-on craftsmanship with scalable technology. The compact team ensures quality control and quick iteration cycles as cities request different lighting configurations or more rugged systems for specific sites.
The ability to tailor lamps to municipal layouts means towns can optimize safety, energy savings, and maintenance costs. With a lighter fossil-fuel footprint and reduced transmission losses, these solar street lamps align with public policy goals aimed at modernizing infrastructure while protecting the environment.
The Road Ahead for Solar Lighting in Quebec
Given the province’s large geographic breadth and climate, questions persist about how quickly solar street lamps can replace traditional streetlights on a wide scale. Tremblay remains optimistic. He believes there is substantial room for growth as public budgets increasingly favor energy-efficient and resilient solutions. The company’s Quebec-wide footprint—spanning remote northern communities to dense urban clusters—illustrates the practical viability of solar lighting in a variety of contexts, from remote sports fields to busy city corridors.
Is there a future for solar in Quebec? Tremblay answers with a confident yes: solar street lamps offer a path to greener, more self-sufficient municipalities that can adapt to evolving energy landscapes and grid modernization efforts. In a province where cold winters and variable sunshine challenge any outdoor lighting system, Solidel’s approach highlights the pragmatic, incremental transition many cities are already pursuing.
Conclusion: A Cleaner, Flexible Light for Quebec
Solidel’s Drummondville-based model demonstrates that green, off-grid lighting is more than a concept—it can be a practical cornerstone of municipal infrastructure. With adaptable brightness, movable bases, and reliable off-grid performance, solar street lamps are well-positioned to illuminate Quebec’s cities while reducing strain on the traditional electric grid.
