Oil derricks, Petrolia, Ontario, 1886; photo taken by Robert Bell
The Fairbank family has been part of Canada’s oil industry since John Henry Fairbank first struck oil in 1858. Charles Fairbank Oil Properties Ltd. is listed as the oldest oil company in the world, according to Library and Archives Canada. By 1880 it become the largest oil producer in Canada.
Stills, used to process petroleum, at the Producers Oil Refinery, Petrolia, Ontario, 1886
As part of one of the first oil companies in North America, Van Tuyl and Fairbank Inc. launched Solarware on May 1st. The hardware store in southwestern Ontario will sell solar collector panels, solar-powered hot-water heaters and in-floor heating systems.
Some of the oldest oil companies have dabbled with renewable energy. But several activist have claimed it has been for the purpose of greenwashing and trying to give a dirty oil company a clean image. Greenwashing or not, it is still important to look at how some are making an effort.
Shell (founded in 1907) had a solar business from 2000 to 2006 when they finally sold to Germany’s SolarWorld. A move that made SolarWorld into one of the largest producers of PV in the U.S.
Solar project between a FedEx distribution hub and BP Solar making this the largest rooftop installation in the United States. 2.4 megawatt covers 3.3 acres with 12,400 solar panels.
BP (founded in 1909) coined “Beyond Petroleum” during the time Lord Browne was CEO. An effort was made to green the oil giant at least from the marketing perspective. BP has been involved in solar power since 1973. BP Solar, a subsidiary of BP, is a worldwide manufacturer and installer of photovoltaic solar cells.
Oil Rigs or Renewable
Exxon Mobil (1870) being the largest of the oil companies, has avoided getting into renewables completely. As I searched the Internet for anything that would relate to Exxon and solar, I always ran into dead ends. A search at GoDaddy to see if the domain ExxonSolar.com had been registered, the answer was “Bad Request”. Maybe I was having a bad Internet connection or it was bad to put those two words together, but that is where I ended my search.
