TORONTO — A site has been chosen on the Toronto waterfront for what is being billed as Canada's largest solar research facility.

The solar park at the Portlands Energy Centre will create between 500 kilowatts and one megawatt and harvest enough solar energy to power up to 1,000 homes.

University of Toronto students and staff at ARISE Technologies will use the facility to conduct research on renewable energy systems and technologies.

The university, ARISE and the Portlands Energy Centre are joining forces for the project, which Ontario Energy Minister Dwight Duncan says will establish Toronto and Ontario as a "world leader in solar energy research and development."

Later this year, ARISE will issue a community based share offering that will allow residents to participate in the project.

The project is expected to be installed in late 2008 or early 2009.