History
The Founder (1930)
Robert Swartman was born in 1930 which left him, he says, with a headache for weeks. As a young boy, Bobbie – as his mother sometimes called him – spent a lot time staring at the sun thinking, “Wow! What a source of energy” (oh, if that were only true!).
Bob studied Mechanical Engineering at Royal Roads and the Royal Military College (RMC) in Kingston from 1948 to 1952. During his studies in Kingston, he met his wife – a nurse at Kingston General Hospital named Laura York. He then spent a year at Queen’s University to obtain his degree in Mechanical Engineering.
After completing his formal education, Bob worked as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer in the Canadian Air Force for three years in Germany and subsequently for a year in Ottawa. He then returned to RMC – this time as a civilian instructor – where he taught thermodynamics and energy conversion – an applications course for thermodynamics – among other subjects.
After seven years in Kingston, Bob and his family moved to London where he began teaching in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Western Ontario (UWO), now Western University. While teaching Energy Conversion at Western, he researched solar heating and cooling applications, was active in the Engineering Institute of Canada and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and spent two years as Chair of the Solar Energy Division.
The Business (1975)
In 1973, the US National Science Foundation produced a report: Solar Energy as a National Energy Resource. The following year, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was formed and the US experienced gasoline shortages… and solar thermal energy projects were funded! In 1974, a group of Canadian solar enthusiasts formed the Solar Energy Society of Canada, Incorporated (SESCI). The first national meeting for SESCI was in Ottawa, and it had over 400 attendees.
The next year, SESCI met in London. This was also the year Bob incorporated Solcan, Ltd.! A day-long workshop on solar heating led into a bright solar future. The next year, the Canadian solar industry was starting to come alive, and the Canadian Government began funding solar projects!
The Canadian Solar Industry Association was formed, and since, initially, only solar thermal systems were viewed as viable technology, they were the main focus of the Association. CSIA later morphed into the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) to encompass photovoltaic (solar electric) technology, as well as other solar applications.
The solar industry became active in the Canada, the U.S., and several countries in Europe as governments realized the sun was an energy resource that could – and should – be tapped.
The Family (2014)
In 1982, Robert Swartman resigned his position as a tenured Associate Professor at UWO to pursue a full-time career in the solar industry. While managing Solcan and growing its ability to develop commercial and industrial-level systems, he also found an enthusiastic apprentice!
Bob’s granddaughter, Jessica, started working for Solcan at the ripe age of four, consulting on her time off from kindergarten. In 2006, Jessica began studying Mechanical Engineering Technology at Fanshawe College, and it was there she met her future husband, Lyle. In 2010, they graduated from the program and began their careers in the engineering field, and in 2014, they both focusing their energy towards Solcan.
Today, the business remains entirely family-owned and operated! Our solar thermal collectors are manufactured in London, ON, and we’re proud to be one of Canada’s oldest solar companies. We strive to operate with the high level of customer service and reliability that has come to be associated with the Solcan name.
“What a fabulous company to have purchased our solar panels from. Lyle is an incredibly polite person, listens to your needs/wants, and works with you in a very efficient manner.”
– SUSAN
Solcan – harnessing the sun since 1975!
