In anticipation of the growth of the solar marketplace in Canada, in 2006 Summerhill began developing a strategic plan for The Home Depot Canada to become a key player in this emerging market sector. Summerhill created a multi-phase approach designed to position The Home Depot Canada as a leader in the solar industry. This included strategic partnerships with government agencies as well as solar manufacturers and installers to drive sustainable market transformation.

The first phase of Catch The Sun focused on the research and analysis of the Canadian solar market, global trends in order to provide a market positioning strategy and detailed plan of action to sell solar products across Canada. Summerhill provided recommendations for merchandising, marketing, and installation services in four solar categories:

• Solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels
• Solar Thermal panels
• Passive Solar product attributes
• Micro Solar products

Following the submission of this report, Summerhill developed a fully integrated program including marketing, Public Relations, a media launch event, and in-store execution. We also secured a partnership with Powerstream to fund a ‘first of its kind’ 20 kW solar PV installation on the Woodbridge Home Depot store.

With this initiative, Summerhill was able to bring together a diverse team to build awareness of solar technologies that address serious environmental issues related to energy use. The Catch the Sun initiative drove market transformation in the following ways:

• Education of consumers on the increasing viability of renewable energy in residential settings
• Development of unique partnerships and models for future projects
• Demonstrated leadership in an emerging sector driving competition and increased awareness